


Scar Tissue :Sans/Reader:

by Prince_of_Heart



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Amnesia, Dark Past, Established Alphys/Undyne, F/F, F/M, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Love/Hate, Minor Character Death, Minor Papyrus/Reader, Minor Sans/Toriel, Multi, Other, Pining Asgore, Reader is human, Selectively Mute Frisk, really slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2018-10-19 21:44:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10648659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prince_of_Heart/pseuds/Prince_of_Heart
Summary: "are you sure about this?..""I've never been more sure about anything.. I cannot leave a child hurt and alone.. It is my faul-""no, it isn't. it's nobody here's fault.""Someone doesn't just throw themselves in front of a speeding vehicle if they didn't need help, Sans.""i agree. this kid needs some serious help, but that doesn't make it your responsibility-""It was my own car. Thus it's my own prerogative to what I can and will do in this situation.""tori-""Don't make me say it again, Sans.. Please. Just help me carry them to the van.."





	1. Pre-Cursor

// Hello everyone!~ This is Underfell, and my first story published to Archive even though I've read and wrote enough fanfiction elsewhere to last each and every one of you a lifetime.

// I just figured, it being my first story and what not, that I would tell you a bit about myself, how I write, and just what I'm expecting to do with this story and my others; respectively.

// First of all, I work full-time and split shifts (in a coffee shop, actually) which means I may be very busy or tired some days and I won't be able to update every day. Sometimes I'll write a couple chapters in advance and tend to post them on a schedule, or all at once for your enjoyment. AND I will TRY. T R Y. Not to ever leave you hanging. I'll never give up on a story, because I've had too many good stories (especially here on AO3) that were never updated at all after 20 or so chapters and I KNOW the pain. If I'm ever gone for too long I will either apologize or feel free to contact me and tell me to get my arse in gear! Because I won't abandon you!

// Also, being that I work in a coffee shop, don't be upset if I include said setting in a lot of my stories. Coffee shop romances are very common, I know- and I try to be original? But it's also a really good place for me to think and I come up with ideas during my work hours that I think people may enjoy. I hope you're cool with that.

// Also! I am unafraid to admit it- I write smut. I am a terrible, filthy sinner, and I'm going straight to The BoneZone. Or H-e-double hockey sticks. Whichever comes first. But not all of my stories will include smut. CHECK THE TAGS AND RATINGS IF YOU WOULD RATHER AVOID 18+ CONTENT. But you should know that by now.

// Having said that, I also love me some ecto-smut. But that doesn't mean all of my stories will include that either. I also don't discriminate at all. There will be stories for genderless, genderqueer, gay/lesbian, monster/monster even situations. Obviously, I'm including the canon relationship of Undyne and Alphys (interpreted as monster females) so I take love as is no matter the size, shape, gender, species; what have you. Keep an eye out for that in tags as well.

// I also include gore, death, hardships, disloyalty, savagery, swearing, depression, emotional/physical/mental/& substance abuse in some of my writing SO, if any of it TRIGGERS you, please pay attention to the tags! I wouldn't want to offend!! I really just want some realism, because life isn't all that fantastical; but here, those horrible things get turned around and I'm hoping it might give someone a light at the end of their tunnel, or brighten their day to have their favorite characters help them through something, okay?

 

// Without further ado, and no more warnings to give, read on as the chapters appear! (There won't be anything up as I'm writing this because the first couple chapters are in progress but enjoy them when they are there)!


	2. Comatose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, thank heavens you're finally awake." 
> 
>  
> 
> Said a giant goat.
> 
>  
> 
> Wearing a dress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //I've decided for familiarity's sake that Mt. Ebott exists in the Appalachian Mountain Range. (If you're not from The States, this is alongside the North & South-Eastern coast of America). And the reader (you), as well as this story, takes place in Central Pennsylvania.
> 
> //Also! Sorry if it seems really short. Gotta get that exposition in there y'know. The next few chapters will start getting increasingly interesting. Happy reading!

I don't remember how I ended up here...

_White room._

_White walls._

_Black screen._

_Big windows._

 

 ** _Closed_**.

 

The door, the blinds, my mouth, and frustratingly; my eyes were closed. I was living my life in glimpses. Sometimes the room would change. Sometimes, I would be in a different bed. Sometimes I would be on a table. There were bright lights and there were none at all. It was only when I lost track of time that I regained my hearing at all. That's when the beeping came; the only constant in my life. If that's what this was. I had to be in a hospital. _God_... why did that word sound so foreign to me? Everything was a little hazy, but I was sure I heard somebody take a deep breath when I opened up my eyes this time and gave the familiar scenery a mundane glance. And then my ears were ringing again and I couldn't tell if I was imagining things.

 

My entire body is numb... and so.... _heavy_. It was like some external force was silently pressing down on my chest each time I breathed, trying to wind me. How long has it been? The ringing hasn't stopped. Maybe a couple of minutes before I felt a large hand on my shoulder. I had strained to look down but, my head still refused to move. From what I could manage out of the corner of my eye, _more white_. 

 

" _Mnn sshld,... mnhhn dhhk hhho nwnwn._ "

 

Nonsense. I couldn't understand anything the person was saying. I couldn't even manage to see who was speaking to me, and yet, I had a feeling I knew them. A blurry, pale figure tried to lean over my bed, but before they could focus; I was asleep once more.

* * *

 

The second time that I became fully conscious again was... so much different. Suddenly, the walls weren't white. I was surrounded by a soft, creamy gold. The ceiling was soft on the eyes; no fan in sight. Just flat color, leading to a darker golden shade where it met the walls. What you could see of them without being able to turn anyways. You could barely catch the corner of a picture frame, but otherwise were out of luck. Turning your gaze towards the open side of the room away from your bed you sucked in so sharp a breath that it hurt. Propped just above you a child was hoisting themselves up to look down at your face. Their head was laying on your shoulders and breathing slowly. Were they... asleep? Even with their eyes closed, the kid held up a hand, catching you off-guard. _Nope- wrong._

 

Your immediate reaction was to jump, but your body didn't react. Their fingers made short, slow movements. You knew they were trying to communicate with you somehow but you also couldn't remember the name of such a thing or what it was. When your eyebrows twitched you opened your mouth- and nothing came out. The child pushed themselves up further, propping up their head in their hands and silently examining you through calm, slit eyes. Their head began to tilt, brown hair swaying when they realized that you must not understand them, and opted instead to;

 

"Can't... you talk?"

 

Their voice sounded weird. Unpracticed, as if they didn't use it often. When you couldn't shake your head either, they took that as a no and you frowned helplessly. Holding up a finger on one hand, the child turned and hopped off of the bed, disappearing from your range of vision.

 

The pitter patter of their feet faded in the distance and you were left alone again for a moment to catch your breath. Where exactly were you? And who was that kid? You couldn't remember ever meeting them before... Then again, it was silently dawning on you that... you couldn't really remember anything at all. What the hell had happened the past few days? You didn't have time to think. The footsteps were on their way back towards where you were held making you feel anxious to squirm under the blankets. A little too late you discerned that your bedmate was not alone, and a soft, relieved sigh told you so before somebody new loomed over top of you.

 

"Oh, thank heavens you're finally awake." 

 

Said a giant goat.

 

Wearing a dress.

 

Said gentle, furry giant seemed oblivious to the rising volumes of the screaming in your brain and reached out to touch your forehead with her palm. No. Paw. That is a real **_paw_**. For fuck's sake.

 

"I am Toriel; and I've been watching over you. I was beginning to worry when you didn't wake up in the first couple of hours."

 

Then, laughing softly for a monster her size and looking down at you with big, gentle eyes, she hummed and her shoulders slumped.

 

"But I suppose a couple days of rest wasn't enough."

 

Wait. _DAYS_?

 

"Frisk says you are having some trouble speaking."

 

She prattled on, glancing away at something out of your sight again. You figured this 'Frisk' was the child you met earlier. What a weird name..

 

"Can you move at all, my child?"

 

You were still pondering who in their right mind would name their child 'Frisk'. A couple of bandits? Hippies maybe. Why couldn't you remember what a hippie was? With your forehead beginning to itch, you looked up to see that Toriel was staring at you expectantly for some reason.

 

"Right, I suppose not... I'm truly sorry for not healing you sooner."

 

 _Healing_?

 

"The human doctors- they were unsure of how your body might react under so much stress."

 

 _Doctors_...

 

A flash of white behind your eyelids reminded you of your stay in a hospital bed. Multiple gurneys... What had happened to you? Why couldn't you move any more? You wished you could only ask, but then, Toriel seemed to read your mind.

 

"After your accident, you were asleep for so long that they weren't sure what to do with you. You were kept there for two weeks, but- once they'd done all they could do and-"

 

With a glance towards Frisk for a split second, the woman shook her furry head and smiled warmly.

 

"I took you home myself. I hope you don't mind. You'll be warm and safe here, and now that you're up I can bring you some pie. I'm sure you're famished."

 

 ** _Growl_** . . . 

 

 _Well, now that you mention it..._ Your stomach answered for you, causing her to laugh. But her eyes were sad... Whatever had happened to you- she seemed reluctant to talk about it in front of Frisk.

 

"Well then, that's my cue. Come now, Frisk. Why don't you help me bake a special pie for our house guest, hm?"

 

Toriel watched something off to the side in silence for a moment before shaking her head. Then she faced you, as if addressing you both at once.

 

"It will take no time at all. Don't worry, you won't be alone for long. And when I return, I will heal you and see how far that takes us. Rest up."

 

She patted one of your shoulders with a gentle paw, surprising you when you could feel it, although numbly. _Even if you hadn't trusted her..._ You thought, as she stood to leave and offered Frisk a hand. _You had no choice._

 

_You couldn't run away._


	3. Pieces of the Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The hospital I drove you to had no records of your existence. Not so much as a name- no fingerprints or certificate of birth. You had no form of identification on your person so I couldn't even manage to take myself to court-"
> 
> "I did the only thing I could think of.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //So we learn a little bit about your amnesia situation! Guilty goats and more pie!  
> //If Frisk ever speaks again, it will be said. If they are signing, their words are just in bold. Cool? Cool.

Judging by what Toriel had told you, you'd had enough rest to last a lifetime and a half. The things she had said were a little unsettling, perhaps, but what she didn't spoke volumes about your condition. You were asleep for so long that the doctors were unsure what to do with you. Worse yet, you had practically been in a comatose state of mind, and even now your body wouldn't listen to simple commands. Thinking came as a struggle at best. You were in a strange (although welcoming) house, with strange unidentifiable people and goat women that you didn't know to trust. Toriel and Frisk- they seemed.... Really nice. It was like a breath of fresh air, or the sweet and spicy flavor of butterscotch-cinnamon pie on your tongue (which you were offered) compared to the rest of the world. But you couldn't... remember anything. At all.

 

Even as Toriel put her paws over your body, filling you with pleasant pulses of magical energy ( _fuck, did all barnyard animals have healing abilities? You can't remember-_ ), you didn't know what to think. She was healing you alright. Your body felt like it was being cooled while simultaneously on fire. It was an electric feeling that hit you like five too many shots of espresso and gave you a bit of a headrush. But with that feeling came a lightness, and numbness lifted to be replaced with a tingling in your fingers. By the time she sat back on your bedside, looking a little tired but happy with herself, you were able to flex them again. It was such a relief you just kind of lay there for a couple minutes, testing out your renewed muscles by smiling like a complete and utter idiot. You didn't even realize that Toriel was the one chuckling beside you until she spoke up.

 

"It seems like you're feeling better already.."

 

"Yeah, actually.."

 

Without knowing it, you croaked, but the light in Toriel's eyes told you that you weren't imagining it anymore. You were actually speaking. Laughing incredulously and then coughing, you felt a tiny hand swatting at your own. Turning your head, you saw Frisk jumping up and down frantically and trying to reach you. But they weren't quite tall enough for the bed and it resulted in another painful snort from you before Toriel had to pick them up. Frisk was positively beaming and wiggling their fingers in rapid succession. Still a little fuzzy and confused, you began to frown, and Toriel butted in.

 

"Frisk, dear, I don't think they can quite tell what you are trying to say."

 

But then, not wanting to discourage the child, Toriel added;

 

"They're just trying to tell you that they're glad to see you feeling better. They had been worried about you. Haha! They wouldn't leave your side at all when I brought you home!"

 

Frisk puffed out their cheeks indignantly and crossed their arms causing you to wheeze with laughter. Toriel smiled warmly and it almost reached you, too, until that posed another question.

 

"That's sweet, really- but..."

 

Sucking in a breath, you paused to look between the calm, expectant faces of your caretakers and frowned deeper.

 

"Do I- Am I supposed to know you? I'm sorry... I don't really... Remember, what happened..."

 

Realization dawned on Toriel's face, and suddenly, her eyes grew a little sad, downturned.

 

"Well, I did give you a formal introduction... but, I'm afraid you weren't entirely conscious..."

 

Then, glancing to Frisk, Toriel seemed visibly upset.

 

"Frisk, my child.. Would you leave the two of us to speak in private for a moment?"

 

Frisk dropped their arms, looking taken aback. They lifted their hands, signing something quickly, but Toriel shook their head.

 

"It's important.. I promise I'll tell you all about it later."

 

Frisk seemed determined to stay, but when Toriel began to frown they seemed to give in reluctantly. Lingering a while longer, Frisk shuffled backwards off of the bed and paused by the door. You watched as they gave you a quick smile and a thumbs up, making Toriel shake her head when they stretched and closed the door. Now that you thought about it, everything seemed goat-sized in this room. At least, her goat size. Which was massive and out of reach.

 

Now, when she looked at you, Toriel was serious, her fanged mouth in a line briefly before she let out a long breath.

 

"The truth is, I do not know who you are. I do not know where you came from, or if you have any family- and, if you are right and your memory is missing, then, we may be at a loss..."

 

The more she said, the heavier the feeling in your chest grew. Just as suddenly, all of her healing seemed reversed. It was a little hard to breathe- you felt suffocated. You don't... you don't remember who you are... She doesn't know you- You are in, an _absolute stranger's_ home. With no recollection of your past or any idea of what the future may hold. The ceiling was becoming increasingly interesting to you.

 

"I only know where I found you. I am a teacher, you see, and on the way home three weeks ago, you darted out in front of my car.."

 

It seemed to physically pain her to admit any of this... Guilt was written all over her soft features.

 

"I wasn't thinking straight- I was trying to remember what assignments were due that week and focus on dinner for the night-"

 

"I-... You hit me?"

 

Out of the corner of your eyes you could see Toriel's big violet eyes widen, becoming a little glassy. With memories or tears, you didn't know. Probably both.

 

"I tried to avoid you, I really did! I made a sharp turn and braked but you were too fast... I- The hospital I drove you to had no records of your existence. Not so much as a name- no fingerprints or certificate of birth. You had no form of identification on your person so I couldn't even manage to take myself to court- I did the only thing I could think of.."

 

You looked over and were shocked to see Toriel crying. Big, fat tears were rolling down her cheeks. She grimaced and the water glistened on her snout.

 

"When the monsters were finally free from the Underground I swore to myself I would never be the reason a child got hurt again- b-but-"

 

She hiccuped and clapped her paws over her face, rubbing furiously at her tears.

 

Without even realizing it at first, you reached out and placed a gentle hand on her arm. Toriel practically choked on the breath she brought in but didn't loosen up so you began to pat her arm awkwardly. There was absolutely no way this woman could be lying... She was crying for you- she didn't know a single thing about you, and she was taking you into her home, offering you food, a bed, her healing abilities. And her pity.

 

"It's- it's fine.." You murmured.

 

Against your better judgment- you were going to trust this woman...

 

"I mean- at the very worst, I might have a concussion, right?.. That means, with some more time, maybe I'll get my memory back. Don't cry, Toriel- you're doing... a lot."

 

 _I think._..

 

You weren't entirely sure what she meant about other children... or The Underground, but, she was as far from a monster as one could get. Trying to stifle her sobs, you waited for Toriel to calm down a bit. She stubbornly wiped away her tears on the sleeves of her tunic, sniffling hard once before managing a bleary smile your way.

 

"Maybe... you're right.. I understand if you would rather look for answers right away... But at the very least, until you are feeling up to the search,"

 

You watched as Toriel engulfed on of your hands in her much bigger paw. 

 

"My home, will be yours.." 

 

* * *

 

It's been three whole days since Toriel came clean about your accident, and not a single memory of it. You couldn't manage to recall your name as much as you stubbornly tried, or any family. Everything came as a blur to you. Most of your days were spent sleeping, and whenever you were awake, it was because Toriel insisted she heal and feed you. At some point in time you agreed to a change of clothes, and right now you were sitting up in Toriel's bed in a tunic three sizes too big with Frisk cross-legged in front of you. They were slowly making signs with their fingers, and then either making a gesture or murmuring their meaning. It was easy to learn ASL when you were bed-ridden. Turns out- you weren't so bad at it. Eyes straining, following their movements stubbornly, you watched Frisk sign the letter 'A' backwards and press it to their lips.

 

"Uhhhh- kiss?"

 

They shook their head fiercely. And yet- even after hours of charades, they never got angry with you. They signed again and made the same motion, trying to grimace.

 

"It-, uhm, looks like you're kissing your knuckles... Sucker punch?"

 

Again, shaking their head, Frisk pouted and immediately got an idea. They made the gesture one last time and then a motion to their throat, and it clicked.

 

"OH! Mute!"

 

Brightening considerably, you pointed to yourself and then mimicked their gesture.

 

"I am mute!"

 

Slowly, stumbling, you moved your fingers and hands in ways they'd taught you today to make sentences. Sometimes you faltered, but you didn't mess up; just stalled as your brain tried to work.

 

"You are mute. You can speak but you choose not to."

 

Frisk clapped their hands together and gave you two big thumbs up. Smiling politely you tilted your head a little.

 

"I didn't know that was a choice."

 

Frisk nodded and signed back to you. 

 

 **It's a choice anyone can make**.

 

You remembered the time three days back before Toriel had begun your healing process when your voice wouldn't cooperate. Then, you hadn't had a choice, but Frisk did this consciously every day.

 

"Why did you choose to be mute?"

 

Frisk looked silently thoughtful for a moment and you wondered if you shouldn't have asked.

 

"If it's too personal, I understand."

 

After-all, Toriel still hadn't told Frisk the truth. You knew it must be driving them insane. Frisk shook their head no, a little hesitantly at first.

 

 **Long story**.

 

"Ah. Another time, then."

 

Frisk smiled and you beamed back as they patted your hand in some sort of symbol of a promise. Shooting upright a little, you jumped when Frisk's face lit up and they began signing much more rapidly.

 

"Whoa, whoa! Kid, slow down! I can't keep up!"

 

They seemed to forget you weren't as used to ASL as they were and huffed heavily.

 

"Sorry! I'm trying here."

 

They apologized and shrugged like 'what can you do?' before moving slower.

 

"Are you... ready?" They nodded.

 

"Ready for what?"

 

 **Company**.

 

Further confused, your brows began to furrow and Frisk's grin grew all the wider. They sure loved to milk things out..

 

"What... company??? Are we talking people company, or a corporation?"

 

Frisk signed something you didn't quite understand and you frowned.

 

"I don't-" 

 

Practically lunging forward, Frisk cupped their hands over their mouth, unable to hold in their excitement. 

 

" _My family_."


	4. FIGHT or Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //You get around to meeting some more of Frisk's... unusual family. Something about this feels hauntingly familiar, and yet, you can't quite place your finger on it.

Ever since the moment Frisk told you about an unexpected visit, you've been antsier than usual. They had looked so happy, too that you really didn't want to rain on their parade. Apparently, this was something planned before your accident that nobody had gotten around to. Toriel tried to insist that if you weren't feeling ready to meet new people then she would call it off. But as much as you were practically shaking with the anxiety of possibly forgetting names, faces, all that happened today; you were just as determined to prove to Toriel that you were getting better. Besides, she seemed beside herself in hopes of seeing her friends again, and who could blame her? You already felt terrible for being the reason she was kept away for so long.

 

At this very moment, Frisk was sitting across from you at the dinner table (because you managed to walk to the dining room all by yourself today! Go you!) and giving you the basic rundown of your dinner guests for tonight. 

 

"Okay, so, remind me again.. One more time."

 

Sucking in a quick breath, you tried to recollect all that you had been told the past night and a half. Eyebrows beginning to furrow, you mumbled;

 

"Asgore was.. the king of The Underground where all of the monsters came from. He is Toriel's ex-husband. It's been a couple of months since you freed them all."

 

Frisk nodded approvingly with each correct assumption. Your mind had begun to settle down as far as thought processes went, but with it came an annoying habit of short-term memory loss. Not to mention the long-term memories that you still couldn't place. It got pretty frustrating sometimes, so you were grateful for Frisk's patience with you. 

 

"He is- also a goat. He likes tea and flowers."

 

Frisk clapped and gave you a quick thumbs up, encouraging you to move on. Smiling slowly, you tried to feel more confident, and failed. But hey, at least you tried. Conjuring up more information from your mind, you frowned.

 

"Undyne is coming too. She's a warrior from The Underground and likes swords and stuff."

 

Frisk paused a moment but then gave you a 50/50 gesture. **Well, swords, spears, flails, nunchuk- fighting, in general**. You nod, watching them sign this and then sighed.

 

"Right- so try not to piss her off."

 

**She's just very passionate.**

 

"Right..."

 

Frisk smiled knowingly and leaned back in their chair, chuckling a little under their breath. Then, added. **And what about her girlfriend? Alphys?**

 

"She's a doctor?"

 

Frisk shook their head. **Scientist**.

 

"Oh! Yeah! She's a scientist, uhm, she's actually too busy to come tonight, right?"

 

Nodding, Frisk gave you another thumbs up with one hand and then began to sign with the other. Quick! Papyrus!

 

"Huh? Oh. OH! Uhm- Uhhhhhhhhhmmmmmm..."

 

Frisk watched as your eyes shifted to the side and they huffed a little. Your voice drawled on for another couple of moments, trying to stall. Nothing was coming to mind, and for a hot minute you almost broke into a sweat straining yourself. Frisk tried to reach out and tell you it was okay, but then you suddenly sat bolt upright, the light returning to your eyes.

 

"HE'S A SKELETON!"

 

Jumping a little at the way you shouted, Frisk signed their praises but you were rattling off all that you could remember already. All of it correct.

 

"He was trying to be part of The Royal Guard with Undyne- uh, he really likes spaghetti, but he can't cook very well. He has a sports car, action figures, he's very loud-"

 

**And he wears his clothes in the shower!**

 

"Yeah! And he- wait, what?"

 

**Nothing!**

 

Just then, Toriel turned around from where she was picking up a second steaming, cinnamon-butterscotch pie from the oven and hastily pulled off her mitts with a look of surprise. 

 

"The guests are arriving!"

 

* * *

 

 

After rushing past the two of you and into the livingroom, you looked over to Frisk in confusion. They were busy scrambling off of their seat to go to the counter and push Toriel's oven mitts clumsily into a drawer. When they turned back to you, their entire face was lit up with excitement that they just couldn't handle. Waving you with them, the kid bounded out of the room with a sudden burst in energy that left you winded. Much more slowly, you pushed yourself up from your seat, wobbled at the rush of blood to your head, and then began to follow. Peeking around the corner of the doorway you could see Toriel's large form blocking most of your view of the entrance, but where Frisk stood beside her they were hopping up and down, arms outstretched. Toriel smiled politely and then a much larger white paw came down to scoop Frisk up into their arms. When Toriel moved aside, a fellow you figured was Asgore had to practically bend himself in half and turn sideways to fit his extra-wide shoulders and horns through the entryway. _Holy_... _crust_.. 

 

If you thought Toriel was massive, he was gigantic in comparison, practically dwarfing his ex-wife. You were beginning to wonder if he was the reason that the ceilings were so high. Frisk did say he visited more often than everyone else.. He looked a little silly in his sandals, khaki shorts, and Hawaiian button-up but who were you to judge on fashion? Laughing at something that Frisk signed to him you were surprised by how well his voice projected. Deep, rumbling, but kind as well.

 

"Yes, yes... So I've heard."

 

His head swiveled in your direction and you flinched instinctively when you realized Frisk must be talking about you. But before you could manage an awkward wave, somebody practically flung themselves through the open doorway and just- asserted themselves.

 

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING YOU LITTLE TWERP?! THINK YOU CAN JUST PASS ME UP?!!"

 

You felt like the tension in the room had just naturally sky-rocketed. Swooping in unannounced you watched in shock as somebody else entirely plucked Frisk from Asgore's arms and landed from their backflip with amazing accuracy. You knew this had to be Undyne, even if the blue fins and bulging biceps didn't give her away. (Seriously, her arms were damn impressive). You would have liked to introduce yourself to at least somebody before it became too awkward- but despite Frisk's giggles you were still looking between the much slimmer, smaller Undyne and Asgore's bulging, furry arms.

 

Just-

 

 _Just_ -

 

_H O W._

 

Undyne threw back her head and let out loud, obnoxious laughter, crushing Frisk in her arms. You watched on with alarm but Frisk was grinning from ear to ear anyways, and by the time that Undyne loosened up again their face was turning red from lack of oxygen. Letting out a breath you didn't know you had been holding, you had to lean against the wall you were hiding behind for support.

 

"FUHUHUHU!~ That's right, punk! I took the rest of the night off just to see you!"

 

Giving Frisk a rather aggressive noogie, Undyne grinned and revealed a set of large, yellow-stained shark-like teeth that made you blanch.

 

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot!"

 

Undyne suddenly reached behind herself into her back pocket, and with a bit of struggling, managed to pull out a tiny cd case. She held it out for Frisk who picked it up, looking curious. All you could catch from your point of view was the chicken-scratch handwriting on the case, but even that was blurry and smeared like somebody had been in a desperate sweat when writing it down. It made no sense to you.

 

"Alph felt terrible about missing out, SO SHE LEFT US SOME SUPER COOL ANIME TO BINGE! This one's about a school where CLOTHES can be a WEAPON!"

 

**That's awesome!**

 

"OF COURSE IT IS!"

 

Frisk swiveled in Undyne's arms to sign frantically at her maternal goat figure.

 

**Can we pretty please have a sleepover tonight?**

 

"Oh! Uhm-"

 

Toriel cast a concerned glance your way and seemed to be asking you silently with her eyes if this was okay.

 

"Well- I mean- I'm just afraid that it might be too much excitement in one day. Our guest is still healing, after-all.."

 

Cue all eyes on you once more. Fighting the overwhelming urge to shrink into yourself, you sucked in a much deeper breath than necessary. Undyne took a few advancing steps towards you, her eyes wide and wild.

 

"C'mon, kid! It'll be FUN! I promise to be on my BEST BEHAVIOR!"

 

With that large, shark grin inches away you could feel the color beginning to drain from your face. Toriel made some kind of hesitant sound of protest, warning Undyne, but she didn't seem to understand what was wrong right away.

 

"WHAT? I'm just asking politely! I'll even keep the destruction to a minimum!"

 

Frisk crossed their arms and gave Undyne a look.

 

"WHAT'S THE LOOK FOR PUNK!? IS THAT A CHALLENGE?! LET'S THROW DOWN, RIGHT HERE! **RIGHT NOW**!"

 

"G-Guys, really-"

 

All caution thrown to the wind, Undyne plucked Frisk away from them and set them on the ground. Frisk was just having fun of course, putting up two tiny little fists and making swipes at the air. Undyne cackled and the air became charged with magic as she materialized a giant, glowing spear from thin air. You were shaking like a leaf, legs becoming weak and both Toriel and Asgore made a move towards you, trying to cross the room.

 

"Undyne, please-"

 

"If you would make way-"

 

"FUHUHUHUHU!~ JUST LIKE OLD TIMES! SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT, NERD!"

 

**Wait, Undyne- I don't think-**

 

"GIVING UP ALREADY? THERE'S NO RUNNING AWAY THIS TIME!"

 

Undyne raised her spear and the world began to grow darker. Being in proximity of the battlefield was affecting your vision and your legs began to give. You were faintly aware of a pull from your chest and Toriel's gasp. Asgore spoke, Undyne's laughter filling the air, the loud slamming of a door.

 

"looks like the party's already started without us."


	5. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get interrogated by a punny skeleton.
> 
> What does he know that you don't?

Everything had grown so dark... so dizzyingly fast. All of a sudden, you were being sucked into a vortex, passed out before a battle ever began. With the worried voices of your newfound acquaintances in your ears; you succumbed again to a deep sleep...

 

* * *

 

*3rd person - Livingroom*

Undyne sighed as she collapsed unceremoniously on Toriel's couch, opposite of Asgore. Spreading out her arms, she seemed to be stuck frowning at the moment. Hushes voices came from the other room where the human had been taken, and now, without anyone else around she looked guilty.

 

"... I didn't mean to-"

 

"I know, Undyne. It's not your fault."

 

Undyne's one good eye rolled to her previous King, but he was looking down at a notebook in his hands and slowly scrawling on the page what Toriel wanted him to document about this entire encounter. Shoulders slumping some more, Undyne looked away again and bit her lower lip. The room was as silent as death for a few seconds. But with her worry radiating off of her in waves, Asgore couldn't concentrate and let out a deep, rumbling sigh before leaning back on the couch as well.

 

"You were a little excited to see Frisk and they happened to be a little close is all... Who could've known they were so weak that they would faint? It was an honest mistake that I will not have you burden yourself with."

 

 

He looked over to his most prized Head of his Royal Guard, but her gaze was directed to her legs. She wasn't getting over this easily.

 

"We don't know when they will awaken again... So don't you think this is an opportune time to make up to them?"

 

With her face screwing up, Undyne snorted condescendingly.

 

"Oh yeah? And how d'you suppose I do that? With an apology letter?"

 

Sucking in a breath, Undyne crossed her arms. But it was clear she was just mad at herself, and Asgore's eyes were only soft even as she beat herself up about it.

 

"'Gee, I sure am sorry that I dragged you into a battle when we first met. You hit the ground so hard that you might have brain damage, but hey, let's be friends! That's cool, right?'" She partially turned towards him with a sneer.

 

"Should I sign off with a 'Love, Undyne'~???"

 

Asgore, however, was smiling anyway.

 

"I figured you could brew her some tea to make her feel better- perhaps your gift card comes on a little strong?"

 

* * *

 

*Your POV*

You couldn't remember what had happened for a moment when you woke again. Your eyes scanned a golden room in the dark, and you couldn't recall where you were. But, gradually, groggy thoughts came back to you. 

 

_Toriel...._

 

_Frisk...._

 

_Sign Language and a monster family..._

 

Suddenly you sat bolt upright with the realization that you must've blacked out. Your very first thought was to panic and look for Undyne, but then when you realized that you were all alone you begun to feel guilt settle in. What exactly had happened??.... You'd asked yourself the same questions so many times in the past four days that the answer was becoming self-fulfilled prophecy. I don't.... know. You could remember flashes of Undyne's laughter and banter towards Frisk. She advancing towards you and then getting a little sidetracked, and when she tried to initiate a fight, everything went dark... 

 

Despite everything, something in the back of your head remembered Frisk telling you how Toriel had missed hanging out with all of her friends again. She's been so busy taking care of your sorry ass that she hadn't had any time to breathe, much less socialize, and, you kind of hoped that she didn't send anyone home. That, even though you had a little episode, she might be down the hall, chattering happily by now, comfortable, encompassed in the love of her family. You felt horrible for being the reason why she pushed them away...

 

"hey kiddo."

 

Nearly jumping out of your skin your mouth instinctively opened to let out a shriek when a hand eased itself over your lips instead. You tensed and the scream caught in your throat, instead, you looked up into the eyesockets of a skeleton. His grin looked lazy and content, over-all unsurprised by your reaction. Only when he lowered his phalanges did you come to your senses; but it didn't leave you any less unnerved. The skeleton stared back at you evenly, and when you didn't say anything, he spoke on your behalf.

 

"gee kid. you looked like you were about to jump _right out of your skin_. heh, but then we'd have something in _common_."

 

Your eyes slowly coming to a squint, your brows furrowed lightly.

 

"Sans, then?"

 

"was it that obvious? guess i gotta update my routine. guess my bones've been getting a little rusty."

 

"That- was terrible. Bones can't even rust."

 

"throw me a _bone_ here, kid. i did say my routine could use some tweaking, but i'm a little lazy. i'll worry about it to- _marrow_."

 

Opening and closing your mouth but unsure what to say, Sans' grin seemed to grow a little wider with amusement.

 

"what's wrong? cat got your tongue?"

 

"No- uh. I just. Guess.... I've never met someone with quite your caliber of jokes.."

 

"heh, yeah. i heard they're pretty _sans-sational_. can't be beat."

 

You literally couldn't refrain from sucking in a breath, cursing softly to which Sans raised a brow-bone. Definitely not a normal, fixed human skeleton. Did it hurt to manipulate his face like that? Probably not.. When you didn't respond or groan at his continuous puns right away, Sans spoke up again. He didn't seem to like silence.

 

"you're probably wonderin' what happened back there."

 

_So he's a mind-reader now?_

 

"i ain't no mind-reader or nothin',"

 

_Whoa. BLASPHEMY._

 

"but i could see it on your face. tori told me all about what happened, y'know. 'sucks."

 

You didn't want to interrupt and say that he didn't really sound all that concerned. Maybe it was just the lackadaisical way he spoke- or maybe he honestly didn't care. No hate on the guy. You had just met a couple seconds ago.

 

"there's a lot you don't understand about monsters. for instance, long story short is, battles involving magic are more different than an ordinary street-fight up here. when a monster attacks you for any reason, you get sucked into a battleground, so to speak, to keep things even. if you happen to have three monsters to fight at once, eh, it happens. but it's a means of keeping anybody else from interfering i guess. chivalry and whatnot."

 

Sans paused, looking to your face to gauge a reaction, but you were actually listening to him while he spoke. So he continued.

 

"accidentally long story shorter, undyne went to fight frisk and you got caught up in the battle instead. guess it was too much for your soul to handle."

 

"My... soul?"

 

You could vaguely remember Toriel trying to explain her healing process to you while you were still bed-ridden. That human doctors could only apply medication physically, to help the body. Whereas with magic, she could reach inside past all of that to your soul, your basic life-force, and give it the boost it needed to fix your body itself at a rapid speed. 

 

"yeah. humans might throw fists, but monsters will engage in a battle of souls. all humans, and monsters, should have 'em."

 

"I think- I understand."

 

You weren't quite sure about why his eyesockets grew a little darker at the mention of should, but, regardless, you now understood yourself a little better.

 

"don't worry. everyone's still here. it's not as late as you think it is. you might've missed dinner, but Undyne's just starting up the movie she brought with her right now."

 

".... Where's Toriel? Is she-"

 

"okay? yeah. she sure was worried. i had to practically fight her back so that she could enjoy herself."

 

Looking down to the hands placed on your folded lap, you sucked in a slow breath and let it go. Toriel was worrying herself again for your sake... She couldn't even relax for one night without you messing things up, and you hadn't been here very long. You were already deciding that the very moment you felt better you were going to search for any traces of your memories and head out. It would probably be better that way.

 

"I'm sorry... If I was a little stronger I wouldn't have caused so much of a fuss... I don't- remember ever seeing a monster before.."

 

"don't sweat it, kid. you were just trying to protect what you knew."

 

Did he mean Frisk? Your face screwed up a little, trying to recall the moment of action. Had you purposely moved forward? It was no use. You could only remember bits and pieces. Toriel and Asgore were coming to help- either Frisk or yourself, you didn't know. But then everything else was a blur of sound and darkness.

 

"you're sure you don't remember anything?"

 

"Huh?"

 

Lifting your head, you looked over at Sans. When did he move to the door? But the skeleton scrutinized you in silence, leaving you growing more and more confused as the silence dragged on.

 

"I don't remember the fight at all, if that's what you're asking."

 

"i'm talking about your past. nothing? zilch?"

 

Looking away with a light pout on your lip, you tried wracking your brains for a few seconds just to see if anything came to mind. Nothing did, however, and you began to shake your head even before you looked back to Sans. 

 

But he was gone.

 

_What was that all about?_


	6. Quick A/N!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //Just a little heads up about my current schedule and posting!

// Hello again everyone! Just a quick anecdote here to tell you all that I did mention that my job kept me quite busy. Well, it did, and then they gave me a split shift! if you don't know what that is, it means I'll work a five hour shift in the morning, come home for three hours, and then work another separate five hours in the afternoon. Yayyyy!

Right?

No, not really.

The money is fantastic! But at the same time this means it'll stress my updating schedule a little. I know I'm only on 4 written chapters (6 if you count that disclaimer at the beginning and this little thing), but I have been updating consistently this week. I have a lot of ideas and they're all gushing forth at once, demanding to be written down! Buuuuut if I hesitate even for a second I sometimes forget ideas, and other times, if I'm too exhausted, I can't tend to think. So! If I start uploading every couple of days, worry not! I am just braindead and I will get back to things right away when I have the energy! Of course, right now I'm still pumped and very awake so I will try to write up as much as I can before this happens so that I can update for you guys and keep you entertained.

It was just a warning in case I didn't so that you know what's happening. Until then, au revoir! And continue enjoying this (if you do, that isn't to say I believe this is so good that everybody likes it because that's a little too hopeful).

 

PSA: I also ADORE to see that some people are guessing at things that might happen in the story. It thrills me to think you're excited and expecting twists ahead! That's awesome! Feel free to be imaginative and tell me what you think in the comments!!


	7. The Breakfast Club - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "tori, listen... they aren't hurt any more. you said it yourself. it worked- their bones are mended. the stitches are healed. even the best human doctors in this world couldn't have had a patient bounce back so well in five weeks. much less two. this isn't your duty."
> 
>  
> 
> "But it is, Sans. You don't understand."
> 
>  
> 
> "no- toriel, you're not understanding. this kid-"
> 
>  
> 
> How could he tell her?
> 
>  
> 
> "Someone doesn't just throw themselves in front of a speeding vehicle if they didn't need help, Sans."
> 
>  
> 
> But they didn't-

/This flashback has been brought to you by skeleton omnipotence/

 

Being stuck inside of a hospital for three hours wasn't exactly Sans' ideal idea of a date. Toriel was hunched over the wheeled bed now, her shoulders slumped. Her entire demeanor screamed guilt. But what was she to feel guilty for? It wasn't her fault the kid wasn't looking both ways. She was just trying to get home after a long day at work. He had enough time between his shifts he'd invited her out, and this is what he got for it. They never had the time for one another anymore and it was starting to take its toll. None of them had really had the time to hang out since The Barrier was broken. Just barely had the time to settle somewhere (with a lot of struggling of course) and land a job, if they were lucky. Life was supposed to start turning up, right?

 

"hey there tori,"

 

Toriel started at the sound of her name and turned her head to look at Sans. God, he hated it when those big, beautiful eyes were sad.

 

"why the long face? heh."

 

Sure, it was a pathetic attempt at a joke, but it was all worth the while to see her expression lighten up just a little. Partially turning away from the patient lying there, Toriel managed a smile. He knew she was faking it for him.

 

"Hello Sans.... I'm so sorry about our date.."

 

There she goes again. Guilty glances to the floor. He couldn't have that.

 

"eh, it's fine. i've been pretty busy lately too."

 

That was a lie. He was busy all the time. It didn't matter if he called off two hours or a day. Between 5 jobs, it made no difference.. Toriel gave him a sympathetic smile anyhow but it only made him feel worse. He didn't want her worrying about him any more than she already did. If she only knew the half of it... Even though he didn't want to do it-

 

"what's the dl?"

 

Toriel's distracted gaze drew back to the young girl in the hospital bed and she looked immediately overcome with grief again. Something so powerful it could make Sans' heart break (if he had one). She let out a sigh and began to slump again as she turned back around, making Sans walk up and join her side.

 

"Not too well, last I'd heard."

 

Swathed in white covers, you had tubes shoved up your nose to help you breathe, your hair splayed out in all directions and your skin looking a little clammy. They must've cleaned you up but you were healthily bruised on one side of your face and he was sure you were covered in skid marks too. White room. White walls. White gown. White blanket. In an entirely disconcerting way, he felt like he was attending a funeral. No wonder Toriel was so shaken. But despite how still you were, your heart monitor held a steady beat. 

 

"They have not come to anything conclusive yet, however, she did.... hit the ground rather hard..."

 

Toriel's eyes grew sad and distant. Sans- for once, wasn't sure what to say.

 

* * *

 

It was hard to fall back asleep that night, but even harder to confront anybody either, so you ended up spending most of your time searching the room you've been staying in. Now that you were well enough to walk around on your own, you perused the tiny writing desk in the corner, memorized every line of each painting on the walls (most of them were of the same yellow flowers; huh), and you read so many different uses for snails that you could probably host a lecture on the stuff.

 

For example: Did you know there's a species of sea snail that can get as big as 35 inches around its shell and weigh up to 40 lbs?

 

Seriously. If you ever saw another snail again, you were gonna _escargot_  insane.

 

You weren't even entirely sure how long you had been sitting there before the room grew steadily brighter. Was it morning already?

 

 

Sitting back down on the edge of your bed for a moment you contemplated what was considered too early to wake up and ask for breakfast. You hadn't eaten supper, after-all- but, was a monster's sleep cycle any different? You still didn't know all that much. And you hadn't been awake long enough to really ask anyone either.

 

_Knock knock._

 

You should really start to work on getting more used to these randomly timed intrusions, and yet it still surprised you a little. Folding up your hands in your lap, you looked towards the door and called out.

 

"Come in?"

 

With no sound from the other side, the doorknob turned with some effort and then Frisk peeked their head in. You knew you were smiling even before you felt it and Frisk beamed back at you as they slipped inside. 

 

**How are you feeling?**

 

"Better..." You said in a sigh.

 

You hadn't thought about last night's events for a while.. Now that memories arose to the front of your mind again- of Undyne, fainting, a fight, Sans- you felt shame all over again. Looking bashfully towards your lap, you closed your eyes for a moment while trying to collect your thoughts. You heard only silence. Frisk's smaller hands patted your lap until you reopened your eyes, watching them sign slowly to you.

 

**Don't worry. It's okay.**

 

You tried to nod even if you didn't really believe it. Undyne must feel terrible- She's really a great person. At least, Frisk had said so. And you trusted Frisk.

**No hard feelings... Really. Undyne offered to make breakfast for everybody- Would you join us?**

 

 

* * *

 

/These series of flashbacks also brought to you by an omniscient ketchup-loving skeleton/

 

It's been a week.. The kid wasn't showing any signs of recovery. On multiple occasions Toriel had begged the hospital staff just to let her get a glimpse at the human's soul. Perhaps, then, she could properly understand what was going on with her vitality. But to no avail. Even if Toriel believed that stupid schpeel about medical qualifications but- Sans could see the mistrust in their eyes. He couldn't blame 'em really. No monster was stupid enough to believe that things would change overnight for them since the ascension. But monsters were already beginning to prove their selflessness. Their will to aid humans with their adept magic in any way they might, and yet in return they got prejudice.

 

 ~~~

 

Two weeks. The readings are still the same. Her body has shown outstanding improvements since the under-the-counter healing she's been receiving, but her mind remained in a stasis. Sans didn't yet understand why Toriel was so wrapped up in this human. The ninth human ever and all she did was cause her immense pain. He couldn't stand it. But she's stopped going home. She brings Frisk to the hospital with her immediately after school. She has them sleep in a hospital bed at night. Papyrus has been worried, inviting them to spend the night all the time. And even when not on the best of terms all the time, Sans and Asgore could both agree that they were more worried about Toriel.

 

~~~

 

"are you sure about this?.."

 

Toriel was stooped down low over the hospital bed. Sans had received a frantic text 7 minutes ago that the human had been awake. They seemed to have made a fantastic physical recovery, and in their better health, even weak, they were conscious again. Now they were asleep, but when Toriel turned her head this time- Sans was caught off guard to see such hope in her eyes.. 

 

"I've never been more sure about anything.. I cannot leave a child hurt and alone.. It is my faul-"

 

"no, it isn't. it's nobody here's fault."

 

Toriel paused in her speech and glanced away, out the window. She seemed to be deeper in thought than she had been in days, but Sans would take this over that vacant stare she'd been wearing any time. That didn't mean he was giving up easily. She shouldn't- couldn't bring this kid in. He had to convince her. Somehow.

 

"tori, listen... they aren't hurt any more. you said it yourself. it worked- their bones are mended. the stitches are healed. even the best human doctors in this world couldn't have had a patient bounce back so well in five weeks. much less two. this isn't your duty."

 

"But it **is** , Sans. You don't understand."

 

"no- toriel, you're not understanding. this kid-"

 

How could he tell her?

 

"Someone doesn't just throw themselves in front of a speeding vehicle if they didn't need help, Sans."

 

_But they didn't-_

 

"i agree. this kid needs some serious help, but that doesn't make it your responsibility-"

 

"It was my own car. Thus it's my own prerogative to what I can and will do in this situation."

 

_You're too good for this world-_

 

"tori-"

 

_Please give it up-_

 

"Don't make me say it again, Sans.. Please. Just help me carry them to the van.."


	8. The Breakfast Club - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Passion pancakes.
> 
> Passion punchlines.

"You know what, kid? You're not so bad!"

 

Undyne slammed her fist down on the table so hard that the impact jostled your precariously stacked pancakes. You rushed to hold them up and ended up with syrup all over your hands. But, you were smiling nonetheless. This breakfast had been going well so far. Looking around the friendly array of faces at the table, you felt- welcomed. Undyne laughed and clapped Frisk on the back, congratulating them on their taste in friends and knocking them face first into their whipped cream. The rest of the table chuckled as Toriel helped them back up and wiped off their face.

 

"FRISK! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

 

Papyrus received a huge, determined smile and a thumbs up. One of Frisk's teeth was a little crooked and Toriel's fussing grew.

 

Undyne- she was honestly just as sweet as Frisk said she was, if not a little violent in her intense, passionate way. Papyrus, proud, diligent, and able to immediately brighten up the room.

 

"It doesn't look all that bad, dear. Merely a baby tooth."

 

Sans' eyelights dimmed as they glanced to Asgore. 

 

Although, you didn't quite understand either of them that well- you didn't feel afraid. Sans was rather cryptic, but an avid lover of puns couldn't be a bad monster. And Asgore- well, he's a bigger pansy than Frisk could have put into words.

 

"Hey! If it falls out you can keep it! Like some kind of trophy!"

 

Undyne tried to give Frisk an aggressive noogie and Toriel brought their chair a little closer to her own at the other end of the table.

 

"That's quite enough Undyne, thank you."

 

And then there was Toriel... You've never thought it was so possible to have such a kind soul. Seriously- she seeped so much goodness that it could usher world peace. She could tell someone that her pies were baked only of love and the warmth of her heart and it would be true. She was SO selfless you might as well dub her the next goat Ghandi. You loved her like family.

 

"These are great pancakes, Undyne. How do you make them taste so good?"

 

Successfully grabbing the attention of the room, Undyne turned her head, and when she caught on to your sincerity the biggest smile split her face. Her cheeks began to blush in a way that made her scales almost indigo. 

 

"Well- I'm just **REALLY PASSIONATE** about cooking!"

 

Clenching her fists tightly, Undyne fixed you with a stare that was borderline maniacal; which you have learned was her happy face. It..... takes some getting used to.

 

"EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT **P U L V E R I Z E D** TO PERFECTION! USING YOUR PASSION TO PUMMEL YOUR MEAL INTO SUBMISSION IS THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE SOMETHING SO GREAT!"

 

She slapped one hand down on her bicep and rolled up a sleeve that wasn't there. You were silently calculating the diameter of her muscles when Papyrus cackled.

 

"NYEHEHEHEH! AND THAT IS WHY UNDYNE IS THE BEST CHEF EVER! AND WHY I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM THE MASTER SPAGHETTORE!"

 

Probably bigger than your head. Isn't that all that mattered? 

 

"You can cook too?"

 

"GOLLY, CAN I! I HAD THE BEST TEACHER IN THE WORLD!"

 

Judging by the way Undyne beamed you figured she had been the one to teach him, which only further proved her good will. Frisk squirmed happily in their seat and stuck up their hands.

 

"HM? WHAT IS IT, FRISK?"

 

**Papyrus! You should be the one to make lunch!**

 

Practically glowing, Papyrus stood abruptly and pushed back his seat. You jolted instinctively but sucked in a breath to calm yourself back down. You can get used to this... at some point.. 

 

"THAT- IS AN ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT IDEA, HUMAN!~ I WILL MAKE EVERYONE MY WORLD FAMOUS SPAGHETTI!"

 

Directing his attention to you, he grinned (involuntarily) from one temple to the other, his eyesockets wide open and excited. You thought for a moment you saw stars there, but then they were gone.

 

"IF MY SPAGHETTI DOES NOT WHET YOUR APPETITE, THEN NOTHING SHALL!"

 

"Papyrus, I do hate to interrupt, but-"

 

Toriel, smiling gently, set her paws on the table by a plate equally stacked 12 pancakes high. She hadn't even touched her silverware yet.

 

"Perhaps, seeing as we have only just started breakfast, we should wait until we have all eaten and it settles before we have lunch?"

 

"i dunno tori, i could probably stand a second breakfast. everything goes _right through me_."

 

Mentally groaning at Sans' pun, Undyne snorted and Toriel seemed to let this register for a moment before straight up cackling. She was giggling so hard that she had to clutch at her dress and you watched the way that Sans smiled longingly her way. Asgore laughed halfheartedly but you could tell he'd been one-upped.

 

_Were they..?_

 

"Ohoho! Sans, you _crack_ me up."

 

Holding up an egg she grabbed from the counter, Sans' smile grew a mile wide. Asgore sighed softly as Papyrus groaned out loud.

 

"SERIOUSLY! NO TERRIBLE PUNS AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE!"

 

"heh, sorry bro. you're right. i could do _butter_."

 

"SANS- PLEASE-"

 

At this point, everyone at the table was looking between the two joking monsters. You absent-mindedly stabbed into your breakfast and shoveled slices of pancake into your mouth while they shot back and forth.

 

" _I-HOP_ we're not bothering you all that much, Papyrus."

 

"LADY AS- TORIEL, NO. I INSIST YOU STOP."

 

" _Holy crepe_ -"

 

Trying to interrupt, you took the stares on you much better this time. Chewing through another pancake, you slowly lifted another piece and debated eating it before slowly waving the fork towards Papyrus.

 

"Go easy on Papyrus. His fuse seems a little short- _stacked_ , don't you think?"

 

 

.

 

.  .

 

.  .  .

 

Well, this is your life now.


	9. Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some soul talk from Undyne.

The rest of your day had gone swimmingly well with all things considered. Minus a few pun wars that would have Papyrus questioning his sanity, nobody had gotten hurt. And the more that you got to know the monsters that surrounded you, the more comfortable you became.

 

As it turns out, life had been fairly prosperous for monster-kind since they arrived from the Underground. Compared to some of the more bleak stories about navigating the caverns beneath Mt. Ebott, hopelessness, The Barrier and how gloomy and redundant life had been for centuries; life up here wasn't turning out so bad.

 

Toriel loved to tell you all about her job as a teacher. With the help of Frisk, the ambassador for all monsters and humans alike, and a bit of DETERMINATION, she'd built a school for young monsters (and Frisk). She told you about how much she longed to someday have the students diversify, but so far no amount of preaching brought humans any nearer to unification. 

 

Asgore had a home of his own; a small townhouse where he spent most of his time gardening exuberantly. He was debating starting up as a florist, but the big fuzzy dork couldn't bring himself to hurt any flowers. If Undyne hadn't interrupted you might've been left looking at pictures of all of the plants he tended to on his cellphone for hours.

 

Speaking of, Undyne herself was currently petitioning for a license so that she can be a personal trainer at the local gym. Her dream being that she could have one of her very own, but then again, you had to take baby steps with these things. In the meantime she lived alongside her girlfriend Alphys whom you were learning a lot about. She let you peruse a few photos that they'd taken together on the Jersey coast and told you all about her most recent anime obsessions, Alphys' current project, their aspirations together. As far as couples go, they were getting cuter by the minute.

 

Sans wasn't much of a talker, really. He told you a little bit about himself when he asked and he said there wasn't much to tell. Apparently he worked part-time with an old friend of his in a bar, occasionally taking a side job as a street vendor here and there, but where he stopped talking Papyrus gladly spoke up. He's been struggling quite a bit with job searching lately. Trying ever since his arrival without avail; but that didn't get him down. Between spaghetti and taking care of those close to him, he often gave lectures to the monster children about their history at Toriel's school.

 

All in all- everything seemed to be going incredibly well for everybody since the arrival Aboveground. And yet; even as hard as they tried to skirt the subject, there was always just one... little something alike in each story they told. But you just couldn't wrap your head around it. _Prejudice_.

 

* * *

 

_"Psssssst....."_

 

 _"Pssssssssssssttt_ ttttt......"

 

"Hey, nerd. You awake?"

 

Groaning softly under your breath, you reached up to rub your eyes, only to be disappointed when it was just as dark with them open. It must be really late and you were in the livingroom of Toriel's home. The room was nearly pitch black save for just a sliver of light that you gained from the gray AUX menu on the tv screen. Highlighted in that glow was Undyne, knelt over at your side. You could just barely make out one vivid, yellow eye before she grinned hugely and you caught the glint of her teeth.

 

Seriously, don't ever get on her bad side. You had a feeling it would N O T be pretty. 

 

"Mmmmh? Undyne- what are you doing?"

 

Undyne put a finger to her lips and shushed you softly, which was ironic given her idea of an inside voice.

 

"Keep it down. Everyone's still asleep."

 

Your eyesight was still fuzzy with the stuff yourself, but you still looked around and sure enough she was right. Toriel had taken up most of the couch, but from where Sans had been sitting he was now dead asleep with his skull cocked back, her legs draped across his lap. Asgore had taken the recliner to himself, Frisk curled up in the crook of one of his arms like a sling. But beneath the blanket thrown over the two of them they could hardly be seen. Papyrus had opted to take the floor but you flat out denied it, seeing as you're the real guest here. So now he was just as asleep back in your guest room, quiet as a lamb. Undyne had fallen asleep on the loveseat earlier all sprawled out and taking up every last inch. It was obvious that she wasn't now.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

You repeated, this time in a whisper. Undyne only grew more animated when you asked so that you were surprised when she whispered back.

 

"Tomorrow; you and me. We're gonna hang out."

 

"... What??"

 

Beginning to sit up, Undyne sat back to give you some space and moved to cross her legs pretzel-style. Once you were both comfortable, she beamed, half of her fast in total shadow. 

 

"Y'see, Asgore was going on about how I could make it up to you-"

 

"Make what up to me?"

 

"You sure ask a lot of questions, punk!"

 

Undyne chuckled under her breath and spared the room a glance. Everyone was still clocked out. Looking back to you, her expression sobered if only a little.

 

"About, pulling your soul into a battle earlier. I mean- it might not seem like much to you. I know you're having to learn about monsters all over again but-"

 

"You've already made up to me. The breakfast- today, it's been great."

 

"No.. You don't understand."

 

Pausing awkwardly, Undyne rubbed the back of her neck and looked to the floor.

 

"It's kind of personal- The properties of one's soul. It doesn't matter if you're a human, or a monster. Souls are souls. And they are the very culmination of yourself. Your soul makes up all of your aspects, your quirks. It describes you as a whole, and it also gives you a check on your current health. So in a way, it was rude of me to summon your soul without permission. You didn't want to engage in a FIGHT."

 

Taking in a short breath, Undyne started up again;

 

 "And, in your current condition it could have been dangerous just to bring it out without warning like that. Engaging somebody's soul directly takes effort; for monsters, our magic. For humans; energy. It burns through whatever you have stored up until you're mentally and physically exhausted."

 

"Wow.." You murmured.

 

Undyne nodded solemnly. So that explained why you hit the floor so fast. When she engaged your soul, it must've sapped what little energy you had in your system at the time and wiped you out. But before you could think too hard on it, Undyne managed a small smile and touched your shoulder.

 

"That's why, tomorrow, I wanted to take you out with me and begin a training regimen. Nothing too bad. Just some time to stretch the legs, and then maybe once you're used to a little distance, jogging. And then running. If you want to regain your health along with your memories, it's gonna take a little extra nudge."

 

With a playful bump to your shoulder for emphasis, you smiled sheepishly back at Undyne.

 

"That's- really, honestly nice of you Undyne... I don't know what I can handle, but-"

 

"No worries, punk. I'll be there to catch your nerd ass if you fall."

 


	10. Fish-ical Endurance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp. It had to be said at some point. Humans, are monsters.

// Sorry for the delay everyone! I meant to give you an update before I went on a short vacation but unluckily for all of us- I left immediately after work and didn't have the time! But those two days off, and the few since, won't be happening again for a very long time (I assure you. Jobs can be strict ;u;). So I hope that these next few chapters will suffice! Things are going to be a mystery for a while yet. Yes, we all know that Sans is weary of you for some reason. Some of you have theories involving your soul. Some, think it's.... _something else_. I'm glad to hear them either way! Keep brainstorming! I love to see your creativity! In the mean time, enjoy the story as it all unfolds!

 

 

 

"Alright! Are you ready, kid?"

 

"Undyne- I thought you said we were taking it easy on Day 1?"

 

"What are you talking about? THIS _IS_ EASY!"

 

Looking ahead at the little obstacle course Undyne had set up this morning, you huffed out a sigh. Sure, Toriel's house didn't offer much distance. And she did come back all this way just to put this together for your sake- but. 

 

"How did you even get a flaming axe installed in the ceiling in three hours?"

 

Setting her hands on her hips, Undyne glanced up at the swinging pendulum and hummed as if she forgot it was there.

 

"You'd be surprised."

 

"This- is insane."

 

"I've had worse."

 

"You have a come-back for everything, don't you?"

 

"Ohohoho yeah!~"

 

Sucking in a deep breath, you looked down to your hands and slowly opened and closed your fingers. Flexed one leg, then the other. Shook out your ankles. You could see Undyne's grin growing from the corners of your eyes with anticipation. Your palms were a little sweaty- but, you had all of your major motor ability back. And you were getting gradually back up to speed all-where else. It's just a few flaming pendulums of death, some kitchen chairs in the way, a net trap nearer to the other end of the couch. Letting your breath slowly out, you watched Undyne tense just as you took a step forward.

 

And promptly turned to the side, making a beeline for the door.

 

"Nope. This is a joke. I'm going to fucking die."

 

"He Y- WAIT! I PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO- WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?!"

 

* * *

 

 

The overwhelming aroma of warm espresso filled the air, songs three years too old playing softly through subtly hidden loud-speakers throughout the room. Everywhere you looked, the walls were an off-orange and eggshell white. 

 

"Where the hell are we?"

 

Undyne's gruff voice seemed terribly out of place in the dogging silence. Her breath was heavy after having chased you for the past three blocks and into the cozy coffee shop.

 

"Dank Donuts. You've seriously never been here before?"

 

Regaining her breath in one heave, Undyne straightened up and began to crack her knuckles. While she squinted at the menu, you watched the webbing between her fingers as it flexed.

 

"No, not really. I haven't had much time between training, cooking, and with ambassador-ing with Frisk."

 

"You mean babysitting?"

 

Undyne shot you a withering look from her good eye and her fins twitched as she snarled at you. You were not fazed.

 

"You know, you take the fun out of everything."

 

"I just don't take anything that seriously. Some people find sarcasm hilarious."

 

Undyne snorted before looking back at the menu. You knew she wasn't really angry at you and it brought a smile to your face. From behind the counter, a burly man stepped up to wait patiently at the computer, obviously anticipating your order. Awkwardly avoiding his glance like he did yours, you cleared your throat and looked over to Undyne who was staring the menu screens into submission.

 

"Have you ever even- had coffee?"

 

Turning her head slowly towards yours, Undyne tore her gaze away from the menu, fins quivering again.

 

"Is it.... like tea?"

 

"Oh my god. You poor thing."

 

"Hrrrrrrrggghhhh."

 

Undyne grumbled something under her breath, and when you glanced at her again her cheeks were glowing violet. Was she embarrassed again? With every passing day, you grew a little stronger. And with it came a confidence. You had a personality! You were a little sarcastic, friendly, rebellious if anything. Hell, you just speed-walked three city blocks away from the only home you've known into unfamiliar territory (that you may have been googling yesterday but-) away from Undyne; The ex-warrior Royal Guard, human-stomping, soul-taking, overdramatic tea-loving, lesbian fish monster. She really wasn't all that scary after-all; and you felt more like your own person than you had in weeks.

 

"Okay! So, we'll get you something simple to start. You prefer cold things right? How about a frozen coffee?"

 

"Uhhhhhhh-"

 

You bounded up to the counter regardless and placed your hands down. Honestly, it was just now catching up to you how far you've traveled for your first time out of the house and- it was a rush. You were away from home. You were still standing. You were going- to order coffee!

 

"I'll take two medium frozen coffees. Make one of them (favorite_flavor), and the other straight."

 

"Okay, and that's all for you two-"

 

The man glanced up from the screen he'd been swiftly tapping away on and looked to you with a smile in his eyes. When he looked to Undyne, it remained- but you noticed he was quicker to look away.

 

"Ladies- uh, nothing else?"

 

"Yep. That'll be fine."

 

He nodded instead of responding and quickly turned on his heel to go and grab the drinks. You watched as he thumbed back towards your direction before he disappeared between brewers and you were left confused. Trying to blow it off, you looked back towards Undyne to see her awkwardly rubbing one arm. When she caught you staring she swung it over to rest a hand confidently on her hip; but the way that her eyes shifted around said.. otherwise.

 

"You alright?"

 

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, I'm fine! Just thinking."

 

Trying to bring a smile to her face, you grinned a little, leaning closer with a giddy light in your eyes.

 

"About? Is it Alphys? You know- I still have a lot of energy left. So if she's not too busy, and you can make the time we could-"

 

"Nine dollars and ninety-eight cents, please."

 

Startled by the sudden voice of a newcomer, you caught the eye of a stern looking man behind the counter. His eyes were beady, and he was tall and broad-shouldered, looking down at yourself and Undyne with obvious... discomfort. Undyne straightened up a little and tried to look bigger in comparison, staring defiantly back. Looking between the two it was like- you know she's seen this before.

 

"Oh- wait- I just... Kind of realized..."

 

"You don't have any money, kid."

 

Undyne stated the obvious and it made you blush. With all of the time spent in recovery you still hadn't learned your name, much less if you had a job or any income to it. Scoffing under her breath, Undyne deflated a little bit to reach into her back pocket, searching for a wallet. 

 

"Hold on."

 

"No, wait- Undyne we can just come back another time. I can't pay you back-"

 

"Don't sweat it. It was a nice thought. Heh, I better like this stuff."

 

She gave you a sideways grin, seeming to temporarily forget the guy's uncomforting presence before she found her wallet and held up a crinkled $10. This man had watched it all in silence before he grabbed both frozen coffees and carefully pulled them further along the counterspace. It only took a split second but-

 

"No money, no coffee."

 

"What? I have money right here. I don't even need the change."

 

"I'm sorry. You must've misunderstood. _We don't serve y o u r  k i n d here_."

 

Undyne's smile was slow to drop, almost, as if she didn't believe it.

 

You could physically see the rage the moment that it filled her eyes. Boiling, brewing until it bubbled over, making the gills on her neck shiver, her fins standing straight and tall on her head.

 

 

 

 

"What exactly do you mean by, _m y  k i n d_?~"


	11. WWE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //Ahh, another late update. Stress is a wonderful thing. I hope another somewhat touching inlook into your character's personality will do for this chapter. Until tomorrow, au revoir!

Your ass was beginning to hurt from sitting on the firm sidewalk so long so you shifted a little and pulled your legs a little closer to your body. Beside you just a foot away, Undyne was slumped back with her weight on her muscular arms, looking up at the sky.

 

You were currently lost, perched on the curb somewhere uptown with a frozen coffee in hand, the other uncomfortably grazed by the hot city pavement. All in all, after Undyne politely spoke to the store manager in the back, you had a small victory in coffee. However, when the cashier gave her the stink eye on your way out- well, that's where things got a little dicey.

 

Long story short you had your free drinks. The property damage was much more expensive, and you were both permanently banned from entering that Dank Donut's ever again.

 

But you win some you lose some, right?

 

Somewhere between running before the police could be called and avoiding traffic you'd wound up here. Terribly lost, but unbeaten.

 

"Well,"

 

You were the first to speak up. Because honestly- after meeting Undyne you don't think you ever wanted to know a quiet fish again.

 

"That was pretty cool."

 

Maybe it was out of spite, or maybe just for the heck of it but you managed to get a scoff out of Undyne. Her body jolted a little with the force of her sarcasm and she was still for a few seconds before sitting up straight. When she ran her fingers through her heavy bangs, pushing them back from her eyepatch she huffed out a big breath and gave way to a toothy grin.

 

"Oh, yeah. Total fiesta back there. Time of my life, honestly."

 

When she put her head in her hands once again, you sat up a little straighter and shifted back on the sidewalk to be further away from the street. Sipping on your drink, you found yourself at a loss for words for a moment. It was obvious she was a little upset; but why for? She tried to be civil, and when it went wrong she still managed to save both of your sorry asses from the wrath of a corporate company and incarceration. All you saw was courage.

 

Staring down at the lid of your cup, you gave in and sighed too before resting your head on your knees. Turning to face Undyne you watched her defeated expression for a moment and then spoke up, more softly.

 

"Are you okay Undyne..?"

 

"Yeah.. I'll be fine.. It's just-.."

 

Seeming to fumble for the right words for a moment, Undyne cast her eyes to the ground.

 

"I might come off as big and bad- and even if it was my job to bring humans to King Asgore once for their souls- I never took a soul. It's not like I was out to get anybody. I didn't want to hurt someone. They were just something in the way of The Underground's freedom. Everybody's hopes and dreams were here, on the outside, and I wanted to be part of the reason they attained those hopes and dreams- So now that there's nothing to do but go find them, where dreams are limitless, my dream is to belong... somewhere else."

 

She carefully turned her head to look at you, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

 

"I want humans to accept us some day. The past doesn't matter now. Humans, monsters. There is no real difference. We both want the exact same things. And the only way to do that is for humans to think that we're nice. It doesn't matter either that they're much stronger than we are. Just because we're bigger, some of us hairier, a little scarier- they see us as beasts without a conscience."

 

Then, suddenly sitting upright and throwing up her hands Undyne growled, pulling at her ponytail.

 

"So BASICALLY I'm a huge FUCK UP!"

 

You let her vent out a little, watched while she clawed through her hair even though you were sure there hadn't been any tangles in the first place. At one point Undyne even stood up and began to pace. Your eyes followed her from right to left at least seven times before she sat herself back down with a huff.

 

"That's a lot of energy for somebody that had already ripped two tables out of a ceramic floor and threw them across a room."

 

You could tell Undyne was trying to give you a glare right now but really there was no ferocity behind it. When you glanced over to her she was obviously still trying to choose between laughing or screaming at this point and you set down your drink patiently and turned towards your newfound friend. 

 

"Listen, Undyne. Remember the other day, how we met? You initiated an accidental FIGHT in the middle of the livingroom with a blatant amnesiac and nearly scared the piss out of me."

 

You pouted when she looked away, almost still guilty. But before she could begin to feel sorry for herself you reached out to put a hand on her arm, shaking your head.

 

"No, you DID scare the piss out of me. And here I am, sitting right next to you in an unfamiliar city, no idea where I am or how to get home, sharing a drink with you. I don't think that it's avoidable. You're a very passionate person, and it's a part of you. You stand up for justice when it's due, and take shit from no one, you got that?"

 

"I- guess so, but-"

 

"But nothin'! That's who you are. And if I still think you're cool, then somebody else will too. You can go through your entire life being the nicest to everyone and never causing any problems and somebody out there is still going to hate you. So I don't think you should change a thing."

 

Undyne's eyes widened a little bit where she sat, her arms still limply at her sides. Here you were preaching to the choir for a fish-woman you just met. But at the same time, if anyone took the moment to think about it, you really didn't remember much about the world you'd been living in before this whole big incident and you still felt so strongly about all of this that- who wouldn't take you seriously?

 

"You might be from The Underground, which makes you a quote, unquote "monster" in comparison to humanity. But you aren't just another monster. There's only one Undyne, so you have to play the part. Because if you don't be yourself, then who will?"

 

The two of you sat in a somewhat awkward staring competition for the next minute. You were trying to remain composed, arms crossed, foot down on your side of the discussion. But at the same time you were beginning to worry that you broke Undyne.

 

She sat across from you with her hands firmly on the ground, unblinking for a long time. She seemed unable to process everything you said, or maybe she just didn't know what to say. At the very least you hoped it was a good kind of speechless.

 

Finally, right before you thought you might break in this heavy silence, Undyne blinked slowly and brought a hand up to her head. She puffed up her cheeks and blew out a long breath, her eyes still wide in disbelief.

 

"Whoa, kid. I wasn't asking for a pep talk, much less a soliloquy there. How much free time do you think I have?"

 

Knowing she was trying to make light of the situation you began to smile and grabbed your drink again, content with the cold perspiration against your grit-embossed palms.

 

"I dunno. I mean, you did follow me all the way out here in the first place. I figured we would make a day of it."

 

Undyne snorted in return, shaking her head. She didn't seem able to comprehend what she thought of you now. In the least, you'd opened her mind somewhat. Especially to what humans were capable of; the good, and the bad.

 

"So, now that all of the heavy stuff is out of the way- did you like your drink?"

 

"Oh- Uh, yeah actually. It was delicious."


	12. Concrete Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deja vu.

"Do you think she'll be able to find us?"

 

You were looking up at Undyne, a little concerned to be honest. Neither of you knew how long it's been since the whole table-flip incident, but once you knew that nobody from the cafe came looking for you, and you'd finished your drinks, the two of you started up to head back home. But by trying to avoid the obvious route past Dank Donuts, you'd wandered around and gotten yourselves even more lost than you were before. 

 

So instead, you had to use a payphone to call Toriel in hopes she would come find you, and here you were on the sidewalk again waiting for your rescuer to come save you. The closest sign you could see was North 8th Street, and everywhere you looked was hopelessly- red.

 

You were in ChinaTown.

 

"I mean, it shouldn't be so hard. This is the only ChinaTown I know of. I told her we were nearby the market, so maybe it won't take long."

 

But you'd already wasted so much time outside that you couldn't see the sun above the buildings anymore. And the gazes of everyone who passed were making you a little anxious. Everyone in this crowded city seemed to have a staring problem. When a human made their way past they didn't get a second glance, but when you were sitting next to a monster, holy shit, might as well be America's Most Wanted.

 

The sky was cloudless and tinted a odd mixture of powder blue with a hint of orange bordering the rooftops. It was starting to get cold in the shadow cast by overhanging buildings, and even the smell of fresh Chinese food all around couldn't manage to rouse you from your thoughts. You were having the vague sense of deja vu, as if you had been here before. But. You were worried that it would take a long time for you to be found. Worse yet, that you were worrying Toriel with all of this.

 

You seemed really good at that nowadays.

 

"Hey."

 

You jumped a little, turning to look at Undyne's reassuring smile as she clapped you on the shoulder. After this afternoon, you two had grown awfully close, and it was nice. To have a friend in such an unfamiliar world.

 

"It's cool. If it gets dark before she finds us, I'll just put you on my shoulders so you can scout or something. And you know if things get rough I can throw a mean punch."

 

She winked and flexed a bicep for you, earning a chuckle and a smile from her to know you were at least comforted by the gesture.

 

"I know. I have hope that Toriel will find us. I just got- the weirdest feeling right now.."

 

"Good weird or bad weird?"

 

You snorted as you focused on the restaurants and open shops all around you. Some had begun to close without you even noticing and you squinted, pursing your lips with thought. But no matter how hard you tried you couldn't shake this feeling, and you couldn't make it any stronger either. Nothing was ringing any bells, but something sure was tugging at the back of your head and it was almost eerie.

 

"I don't really know. It isn't really a bad feeling. Just a feeling that I've been here before for some reason."

 

Undyne gave a shrug of her broad shoulders, looking around the area herself and scratching her head.

 

"Well, I mean, it's not such a long shot. T was on her way back from the school, so the accident happened downtown. You might've lived somewhere around here or something. Does anything look really familiar to you? Anything coming back?"

 

You tried harder to scrutinize every little detail in your environment. The Chinese signs you couldn't read, the faces of shopkeeps as the closed their stores, the colors, the products- but to no avail. This was the most frustrated and defeated you've ever felt both at once. It was like having a word on the tip of your tongue- but you couldn't place it for the life of you. Not in an hour. Not in a week.

 

This sucked.

 

"No.. And it's annoying."

 

"don't worry, kid. it'll all come back in good time."

 

Undyne looked just as surprised as you were to see Sans in front of you now. He stood casually in the middle of the street with his hands in the pockets of his jacket, fixing the two of you with that nonchalant grin of his, his eyelights trailing from one of your shocked faces to the other and back.

 

"what's with that look? just your friendly, neighborhood skeleton _escorpse_. tori's waiting in the car."

 

* * *

 

Almost as expected, the moment the four of you arrived home you could smell the spicy aroma of a Butterscotch Cinnamon pie freshly baked. You barely made it through the door before Frisk was clinging to your torso, giving it a warm hug since they couldn't quite reach you. Patting their head wearily, you had been worn out from over-thinking on the quiet ride home.

 

Toriel had already given you two an exhausting game of 50 questions, and after Undyne's excerpt of the incident at the donut shop everyone had grown quiet. Even after dropping Undyne off a couple blocks away from her and Alphys' shared home, the rest of the ride was in a heavy silence.

 

Even Sans didn't try to make a pun and lighten the mood. Now that you were home, Toriel gave you a warm smile although her eyes were tired.

 

"They had missed you a lot. Frisk worried themselves sick looking for you this morning, but we're all glad you're back, hm?"

 

Patting Frisk's head, the child nodded fiercely and hid their face in your stomach, causing you to snort. What a little sap.

 

Then, looking back to you, Toriel's face grew a tad more serious as she waved, stepping closer to Sans who was half-way across the room and heading into the hall.

 

"You may help yourself to some pie if you'd like. I'm sure Frisk would like to catch up with you. I'll be back shortly to help them into bed."

 

You frowned at the thought of sitting in the kitchen enjoying pie without Toriel, because you had become accustom to having her by your side when you were home but you nodded, voice dropping a little.

 

"Is... everything okay?"

 

She gave you a sweet smile and nodded, silently telling you it was nothing to worry about. 

 

"Well! I'll be joining you soon. Maybe you can show her the game you learned today in school, hm?"

 

She spoke to Frisk who lit up in an attempt to cheer you up, and it worked. Grinning lightly, although unsettled by Toriel's vague attitude, you took Frisk's hand and began towards the kitchen while Toriel went to follow Sans into another room.

 

"So what's this game Toriel was talking about?"

 

Frisk's face lightened up a little as they trailed with you into the kitchen where the warmth and smell of pie was enough to calm your frayed nerves. At least for the moment. And as they signed away their story, you cut them a slice with the visions of the streets you could just barely recognize in the back of your mind.


	13. Reality Check

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "neither of us is blind, tori. you saw it that day, when you thought they had died. THEIR SOUL."
> 
>  
> 
> "Something has to come up some time.. You heard her today, she said she might be on to a memory. Perhaps, something that will bring her life back to her, and then-"
> 
>  
> 
> "and what if it was all a lie? what if her memories never come back?"
> 
>  
> 
> "....Then she will live surrounded by those who will cherish her. We'll give her a new name, and a new life to make up for the old one.... Is that really so bad, Sans?"

That night... you had the first vivid dream in weeks.

 

* * *

 

 

_*4 Hours Ago; Toriel's Room*_

 

Toriel knew she'd have to speak to Sans about what happened today. The worried glances he stole towards her on the drive back home from the city told her so. But that didn't prepare her any more than she already was.

 

Even while she moved towards her own bedroom, something so familiar, she felt like her feet were weighed down by the gravity of this world they had arrived in. Her steps were slow and measured, almost unsure as if she really wanted this conversation now. But there was no avoiding it anymore. It had come up once or twice before, however-

 

With a paw resting on the wall, she cast a glance to her own door, partially ajar before sighing and pushing it open the whole way. Sans was highlighted in the dim light of the lamp on the other side of the room with his back to her, sitting still at the edge of the bed.

 

Neither of them said a single word to one another until she stepped inside and shut the door gently behind her. No reason to disturb her children any more than they were. And really, you had become like a daughter to her the moment she took you in.

 

"Oh, Sans..." She hadn't heard her own voice sound so weary before..

 

"What are we going to do?"

 

Sans turned his skull to the side to give her a look from the corners of his eyesockets that she knew was something of defeat. He was always so glum nowadays. Nothing like the first few weeks since The Barrier had been broken. She hadn't known him all that well, when they were in The UnderGround. Other than the pleasant jokes they told one another to cheer the other up from the wrong side of The Ruins doors, she hadn't known then how depressed he's always been.

 

But since they've grown closer over time, he admitted to her his deepest, darkest fears. That they'd never be able to escape. His doubts in himself, in humanity, and his worries for monsterkind as they went forward. He was continuously trapped in this loop, chasing himself in circles with his own thoughts until he ran himself down and had to build himself from the ground up again. How he managed to seem so cheery and content, putting up a front for everybody else all the time continued to amaze her even now. She used to think that in the beginning, they were all the other had in this world. But the more she came to realize that he felt he had no one, the lonelier she became too. It was one reason that their plans kept falling apart.

 

"i dunno... this wouldn't have happened if they hadn't run off like that y'know."

 

Toriel felt a pang of shock to her nerves as she realized what he was talking about, a frown crossing her face.

 

"Sans." She began in that soft, stern tone that only a mother could truly own.

 

"I _know_ you don't mean that. It isn't their fault. Undyne can be a little, excitable, at times. You know that."

 

"so you're saying it's undyne's fault for doin' what's in her nature? she fights injustice. _you know that_."

 

"I wish you wouldn't fight me like this all the time."

 

Sighing heavily, Toriel stepped back to lean against the wall, trying to keep her composure. Picking nervously at one of her claws, she cast her eyes to her dress and began fixing every little detail she could manage. No matter how minute.

 

"Ever since you met this child you've been nothing but cold without reason. Don't you think it's a little unnecessary to treat them this way? They've done absolutely nothing wrong. They've been nothing but kind and understanding in my care. Doesn't that make you like them? The other humans?"

 

What she said seemed to strike home with him, because even without looking at him she could feel it. A sudden spike in his soul's wavelength as his magic wavered with the sting. It hurt to know she'd hurt him by saying it, but it had to be said. What else could she do? 

 

"You're showing them prejudice without-"

 

"what? a fair trial?"

 

Toriel's eyes lifted from herself to gaze at Sans. He'd turned, finding himself on the other side of the bed and facing her, his smile a little strained with the impossible effort to frown. As much as she wanted to look away again, she had to stand her ground, staring back at him evenly and barely opening her mouth before he interrupted her.

 

"neither of us is blind, tori. don't tell me you already forgot about it too. you saw it that day, when you thought they had died. **_their soul_**."

 

* * *

 

 

_"C'mon slowpoke, hurry up!"_

 

_"If I had half as long legs as you, D, this wouldn't be a problem."_

 

_Ahead of you was a town that looked eerily familiar. But everywhere you turned, nothing would come into focus. It was like somebody had taken a paintbrush and swiped it across your vision, leaving the world around you in a messy array of smudged colors and flashing lights. A voice up ahead laughed, light and hearty, the only thing clear in this haze of commotion. When you lifted your head from your feet you saw them, with their back turned to you._

 

_They had broad shoulders, a short torso and two long, lithe legs attached to it. They were lanky, and tan, and beautiful with their longer dark brown hair waving like a happy banner behind them as they flounced ahead of you. Always just one step out of reach._

 

_You could remember being jealous of that hair. That body. Her smile too, was always way too bright._

 

_"H-hey! Seriously, wait up! Let a girl catch her breath would you?"_

 

_Your heart was pounding in your ears, the muscles in your legs really felt like they were screaming with the effort to keep up with her. You kept bumping into invisible figures you couldn't see, apologizing as their garbled voices filled your eardrums as a dogging buzz in the background._

 

_Just when you really thought she wouldn't wait for you, she stopped. And all at once, everything moved in slow motion. She was turning her head to look back at you. You caught the curve of her strong cheekbones, and her smile hit you first; brighter than the sun._

 

 

 

**_Those eyes.._ **

 

 

* * *

 

 

Flinching almost imperceptibly, Toriel put on a daring squint but when Sans sighed, her paws had begun to shake. She couldn't deny it.. He knew it, and he was playing it against her. She couldn't let him. He was trying to pervert his memories to think the worst of someone he didn't even know, and she wouldn't allow him to push her into believing him either. His instincts were almost always right about a person- but this time. This time he had to be wrong.

 

"I know... what I saw. And what I see now is a helpless child with no memory, not even a name. She doesn't know what she is, Sans. And nobody knows what she's done. So I think it isn't correct of you to assume the worst before she has a chance to explain herself."

 

"how long exactly is that going to take, tori? a month? a year? how long until it might be too late, huh?"

 

He looked angry, balling up his fists and clutching at his coat. She knew he was only angry because he didn't know- and he wanted to. He only ever wanted to make sure that his family was safe. Whatever was haunting him now that she still didn't know, she saw it in times of vulnerability like this... and she was afraid.

 

"Something has to come up some time.. You heard her today, she said she might be on to a memory. Perhaps, something that will bring her life back to her, and then-"

 

"and what if it was all a lie? _what if her memories never come back_?"

 

"....Then she will live surrounded by those who will cherish her. We'll give her a new name, and a new life to make up for the old one.... Is that really so bad, Sans?"

 

 

* * *

 

 

Without warning you sat bolt upright, shaking off the last shreds of your clinging dream with a gasp. Before you'd even known it, you breathed out, attempting to shake the weight from your chest- and with it, came a name.

 

" _Dakota!..._ "


	14. Chaos Classroom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Besides, they're kids. How bad can it really be?"
> 
> \- Reader-chan: Famous last words

You were warm. Almost unbearably warm. And wet.

 

The slap of your feet on cold bathroom tile was something you'd become familiar with. One of the very few things you were familiar with after your head injury. But from what Toriel has told you time and again, she's done her very best with the extent of her healing abilities and your head was all healed. Almost as good as new. She couldn't fix brain trauma, because really your brain no longer had any physical remnants of that day. It was just a matter of working through your memories and bringing them back to the surface.

 

 

She's been doing a lot of research for the both of your worrying mind's sakes, but it could take anywhere from weeks, to months. Or,

 

Any day now.

 

It was weird. Feeling like your head was empty when you knew it was full. It was like somebody had scooped a wholesome amount of icecream into a glass and then told you there was no dessert available. Lately your brain's been acting up. Leaving you with these tantalizing inklings that you've seen or done something before, but then the memory would never occur.

 

UGH! Whoever thought The Breaking Wheel was one of the worst methods of torture in the world, they were dead wrong. Deja Vu had you for a loop.

 

With a towel still wrapped around your body and another working at your hair, you sighed and decided to let it rest for a moment. You apparently couldn't rush this things; no matter how much you really wanted to. And you were getting sick of waiting. Everybody else seemed to have the patience you were lacking nowadays.

 

Slowly opening the bathroom door with a creak, you were careful to glance both ways down the hall. Nobody in the livingroom.. Nobody near your bedroom either. Toriel had finally decided it was time to come back from her leave at the school, because if she didn't teach young monsters; who would? And Frisk needed a good education. That's why they'd be taking you along with them today, to see the way the school was coming along (you had a sneaking suspicion it was really because Toriel didn't want you to leave her side). Although you were fairly sure that kid was definitely a LOT smarter than people gave them credit for, you hadn't complained. After-all, it would be another good reason to get out of the house for a while. As nice as it was, Toriel's home tended to get a little stuffy once you got used to it. You were still rubbing circles into your damp hair as you exited the bathroom and made a beeline for your bedroom, thinking of what you might do today.

 

You would probably be learning more than you might teach, but maybe Toriel would ask you to demonstrate. Or perhaps she'd have you grading papers, or leading the children in an activity. Wow- the more you thought about it, the more it genuinely sounded like fun. Could this be considered a family outing?

  
Wow... when had you started thinking like that?

  
It was crazy to think about, but... yeah- you guess, the monsters around you had become your family. In the place of the one you couldn't remember, really, these guys weren't so bad. Undyne finally returned home yesterday, but you were seeing Asgore more and more often when he came to ask about Frisk's studying or plan their next few steps towards uniting Monster and Humankind. But really, you came to know he was checking up on you in his own way. Papyrus and Sans had also gone home themselves, although you saw Sans more often than his brother.

  
Now whether that was good or bad was up for debate, seeing as he didn't like you- and you didn't have a clue why. At first you'd thought maybe he was just a stand-off kind of guy. But he was always really talkative and telling jokes when anybody else was around. It was only when he was with you that the air changed. Everything became heavy and palpable. It almost reminded you of the time you'd gotten accidentally sucked into a battle with Undyne- but why on Earth would he ever want to fight you? Was it something you said? Something you did? Maybe he thought you were free-loading on Toriel, because he seemed really fond of her. But it didn't feel that was quite right either.

Sighing to yourself, you tried to shake off these thoughts and focus on the day ahead of you. You had made it to your bedroom and closed the door behind you, sucking in a breath and looking towards your dresser. Now! Which of Toriel's many hand-me-downs would be appropriate for class?

 

* * *

 

  
It had taken a bit of decision making but you were in the backseat of the car beside a Frisk who could hardly contain themselves in a purple shift within the next twenty minutes. They'd been signing to you this entire time about the friends they had made, what class was like and surprised you by telling you they often taught half of the classes themselves. It made some sense, seeing as they were supposed to be the peace-keeper and spokesperson for humans and monsters, they were the human ambassador! But the way they told you about it was precious. You were trying to imagine Frisk standing at the front of a classroom with a yardstick and some chalk, but it was simply too cute.

The school was on the outside of the city limits, because it had been hard to rent any lots inside of the mainline, but another 30 minute drive and you had arrived safe and sound.

"Now, do be aware that the children may be a little more excited than usual... It has been two weeks without school."

Squirming a little in your seat, you shook your head, feeling guilt trying to creep up on you all over again. You'd just managed to shake that off...

"Oh! It's no problem at all! You were busy taking care of me."

Toriel could probably hear the blame in your voice, glancing behind her to give you a sympathetic smile. But you knew if she went on about how important your health was to her, she'd begin to put herself down for getting you in this situation in the first place. And since you hated seeing Toriel unhappy, you sat up a little straighter before she could interject, feeling the beginnings of a grin on your face while she focused ahead and pulled into a long driveway towards the monster school looming in the distance.

"Besides, they're kids. I love kids! How bad can it really be?"

 

* * *

 

  
Ten minutes later and you were truly regretting ever jinxing yourself in such a way. Monsters, really weren't so bad, but young monsters were- at least two times worse than human children.

There were things much worse than a paper airplane a kid could throw through the air- there were two young puppies in jumpsuits that Frisk was trying to pry apart from a nuzzling competition. And to your closest left, a small, anthropomorphic monster child was opening up bottles of craft paint within his desk and trying to drink them discreetly. One child had clawed his desk to shreds, another was embedding pencils in his gelatin monster partner, and you were pretty sure the plant monster in the corner had eaten another student in front of him- and then there was Toriel in the middle of it. Standing at the front of the class with that ever-patient grin on her face and a dainty gesturing wand in hand, waiting calmly.

"Holy- Toriel, how do you stop this?"

But the swirling masses did not subside. You had to weave between the desks and pry poor, flailing Frisk out of a mass of furry muzzles and hold them above all else in order to keep them out of harm's way. Another student was missing from their desk and the plant monster looked even more content with itself than before. You were beginning to feel a little dizzy with it all.

You weren't sure what you'd expected when you came here today- but it wasn't- this. This was excitement?? One child took up squealing a war cry and another gurgled as they started a throwing war- and that poor gelatinous kid was looking more like a pin cushion than a monster by now. A flaming pile of ropes had arrived late, and as they sat down their desk caught fire, startling you towards the other side of the room by the windows, Frisk still in hand.

"Whoa hey! Get that out of your mouth! I'm pretty sure that's poisonous- I think. ChrIST- AARON, NO. PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T THROW TEMMIE."

"owahwahwahwahwah!~"

Temmie was soaring through the air, looking green and you were positive you were about to have a heart attack. Ducking and pulling Frisk tightly to your chest, you jumped instinctively when you heard a sharp rapping on a hard surface- and suddenly... The room was stock silent. Temmie had collided with one of the windows and bounced right off, rolling somewhere beneath a nearby desk, and Toriel was still at the front of the room.

 

Happily tapping the edge of her directing instrument on the edge of her desk.

 

Still smiling. Oh-so-sweetly.

 

And almost like clockwork, the students you thought had been digested were regurgitated. The PDA instantly stopped, the paint was put away, and a little fish monster took the jelly monster and dropped him on the flaming desk where the fire had sizzled and went out. You were still frozen to your spot, looking at Toriel in awe as she opened her eyes and said in the sweetest voice;

 

"Alright, class. It's time to begin."

 

 

 

 

_Jesus Christ on a croissant™.. What in the fuCK kinda voodoo was that?_


	15. Deja Vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //WHOOOO! Longer chapter! Enjoy it! I've actually got a lot of chapters planned in advance so I'm hoping they'll all be this long pretty soon.
> 
>  
> 
> Could she lead you back to your family? Would she be able to tell you everything about yourself that you've forgotten? /Dakota/.. You had to remember the name when you woke up!
> 
>  
> 
> ChinaTown. Dark hair. Golden eyes. Dakota. Dakota. /D a k o t a/.
> 
>  
> 
> Just ahead of you, Dakota froze in the middle of the street. When you lifted your eyes from the pavement, the world had frozen all around you- the blurred faces of people you might know and shopfronts growing gray- but she still stood in striking color.
> 
>  
> 
> "Why.. why do you keep calling my name?"

Nobody in the world could have felt more exhausted than you had upon your arrival home. Class had been off to a rocky start, for sure, but once things had settled into somewhat disquiet, Toriel had began her lesson where she last left off. The subject of the day was history; meaning, both human and monster history, of course.

In an entire 8 hours you'd manage to span from prehistoric times to the very battle that sent monsters UnderGround in the first place, but inbetween, Toriel had asked much more participation from you than you had initially expected. And it had all begun with a simple question.

_"Could you explain to me, what was considered a Neanderthal?"_

You shouldn't have answered. Maybe you could have passed it off to a monster child, because honestly, who was teaching who here? But one correct answer led to another, and before you knew it, every other question was sent your direction. Children had watched, practically enraptured as they listened to your descriptions of the past.

Dinosaurs, first civilization, a stone age, and iron age, the beginning of a whole new era. Toriel had seemed very pleased with you, but in the end you felt no pride. Only pure, unadulterated fatigue.

Heaving out a deep breath, you sunk down onto your bed, feeling the soft cushion of the mattress and immediately shifting to fall back on the sheets. Your bed felt like fucking heaven against your spinal column, even though you had the beginnings of a headache, thoughts still came to you. Albeit, they felt like they were swimming through tar, but they still came.

You were able to retain all of this information.. Not only things that you must have learned from your own time in school, but everything you learned today as well. But... that hardly made any sense at all. With your free time invested in Toriel's healing and research about concussions and amnesia, it should defy logic. You could still remember everything you were taught about 14th century humans, what the color of your history book had been. Hell- you were sure if you tried, you would recall the grade and name of your professor that had given you the knowledge.

Toriel reiterated the story passed down for generations, of a human that had fallen into an ethereal underground realm, and the monster that had died trying to carry them home. You remembered every single detail of the tale with acute accuracy. But then, what couldn't you remember?

It was like there was only one massive chunk of history left impervious to your mind. Maybe it involved a happy, healthy home. A doting family pet. Maybe a cousin, an aunt, a mother, a father whose face you couldn't envision now. A best friend you left behind?... One that you used to follow through ChinaTown on an expedition for a good time?

Your mind was missing, Y O U.

 

Letting out a soft snort at that as your thoughts began to fade again. You wanted to shake off the idea. But it's- honestly been haunting you. Ever since that night.. When in your dreams, just for a moment you found something familiar that wasn't already new. You could almost make out the sights and smells around you, but was lost to you completely when you tried to focus. It was almost too real... You've heard stories before of people intentionally dropping entire segments of memories. 

 

Maybe it was painful. Maybe it was because you weren't mentally ready to hold so much information. But it seemed much too specific to be a coincidence. Every pattern always led back to you. Why couldn't you remember who raised you? Or where you came from? Because _you_ were involved. You thought you knew that you'd been to a Little League baseball game before. _But whose_? You saw the same girl in your dreams for the past few nights and you were sure that you'd know her once. You'd never forget a face- except for hers.

 

Exclusively hers. Because she had to have been **_your_ ** best friend.

 

 

* * *

 

_It always happened the same way... just like before. You must've fallen asleep at some point because now, when you blinked open your eyes you found yours senses swimming in bright lights and sounds that were becoming something of a routine. Spices drifting through the air, a sickly sweet smelling flower. The hum of voices, the drone of an unseen city beyond all of that- and her._

 

_This time, you were a little confused at first to find that she wasn't right in front of you. Turning your head this way and that, you saw flashes of colors that must be street signs, buildings, vendors- but you knew better than to try and focus on one thing at a time. They would all just melt and run together anyways. A soft peel of laughter broke your frantic search for a moment and when you looked to your other side, there she was- in perfect view._

 

_You could never remember her features this clearly when you woke up and it frustrated you, because while the rest of the world of your dreams was in tunnel vision- she was shining. Bright and radiant, her clothes simple. Sometimes a blue tank top and some flattering navy shorts. You'd seen her in a white dress once, too. But tonight she was wearing a long, salmon chiffon skirt and a white blouse that made the dark hues of the braid she wore seem enchanting. When she looked at you again you found yourself dazzled as you always were, by the gold in her eyes._

 

_"Hey!~ Where the hell is your head, dude? You're going the complete wrong way!"_

 

_And like you had the past few nights, you ignored the words that came to the front of your mind and decided not to speak- but this mystery friend of yours always replied as if you said it anyway. These had to be memories... She stared back at you for a moment before chuckling and rolling her eyes, making a grab for your hand. Unlike the rest of the world around the two of you without feeling, her palms were warm. They radiated the same heat and sunshine that you knew that they would, and began leading you along the streets in the opposite direction with her._

 

_"Come on, silly. It's not that far from here."_

 

_Dakota... That was her name. It was the name you woke up with on your tongue the first time. This was... Dakota. Your friend? It was your best guess._

 

_Her head swiveled a little as if partially distracted by something off to her side before she glanced back at you and gave you a cheery smile, continuing on ahead. She started to make a turn and took you with her, the buildings shifting and suddenly making a block instead of the original wall of brick and shops that had been there. So the world changed to fit your memory, since you couldn't remember the route you took..._

 

_But you weren't able to focus- your mind kept drawing you back to Dakota. Was that her name? If she was all that you could remember clearly- maybe.. Maybe there was hope! If Dakota was still out there somewhere.. If you could find her, then... Then....._

 

_Wow- the lights had gotten really dim hadn't they? No, wait. It was night time. When had the day shifted? Oh wait, this was a dream. So now as Dakota lead you through the streets, murmuring apologies to the people you passed by too closely, the street lights were replaced with hanging ones. You could just barely make out the bulbs of dazzling, little paper lanterns. Mostly red- but here and there was a golden one or two._

 

_Could she lead you back to your family? Would she be able to tell you everything about yourself that you've forgotten? Dakota.. You had to remember the name when you woke up! Her face.. Her face! You'd recognize those eyes anywhere if you could only wake up! Write this all down!! Wake up.. Wake up!_

 

_Without knowing it at all, you'd stopped walking altogether. You were trying to force yourself out of your dream to somewhere- anywhere in reality where you'd be able to record this. Scribble out any thoughts- any facts you knew. You had to find her. But she kept walking on any way, with or without you. This was just a memory._

 

_ChinaTown. Dark hair. Golden eyes. Dakota. Dakota. **D a k o t a**._

 

_Just ahead of you, Dakota froze in the middle of the street. She began to ball up her fists, letting out a defeated sigh that caught you a little off-guard. When you lifted your eyes from the pavement, the world had frozen all around you- the blurred faces of people you might know and shopfronts growing gray- but she still stood in striking color._

 

_"Why.. why do you keep calling my name?"_

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

**GASP.**

 

Shooting bolt upright in bed, your eyes grew wide as the world came back into view. Dim light pouring through the window turning the walls to gold, and you were still perpendicular, halfway off your bed as you remember laying down. You started a little bit when you realized you were soaking wet, and reached out to touch your arm, not really sure what to expect.

 

Cold sweat.

 

You didn't know what to make of your dream but- for once in your life you could just make it out. The details were all fuzzy- except for her face. Her name. You- you could see them eerily perfect every time you closed your eyes. It looked like it couldn't be too late in the day- and you desperately needed a glass of water. So after picking yourself up from the bed, you stripped off the tunic you passed out in and placed it in a hamper before fitting into a new, dry purple slip and heading out into the hallway. But you didn't get far before you'd spotted Toriel and Frisk, the little mute child slipping on their shoes at the door with their ever-faithful goat mom beside them.

 

When she met your gaze, Toriel lit up considerably and stepped away from Frisk to come greet you. 

 

"Oh good! You're awake. I just wanted to let you know that there were leftovers in the fridge. I'm sure you're awfully hungry."

 

Well- now that she mentioned it.. Your stomach growled softly at the mention of food, making you blush with a soft laugh as you patted your tummy. As if that would ever quiet that never-ending pit down.. 

 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess I missed dinner. Sorry, Toriel."

 

With a gentle smile gracing her face, Toriel reached out to pat your head. She seemed pretty accustomed to that by now. It was just force of habit. And although it came off as a little odd at first for somebody your age, when you realized she'll pat anyone's head from Frisk to Papyrus', well- it really wasn't all that bad a habit. When her hand fell back to her side, Toriel shook her head, making her big, floppy ears sway.

 

"No offense taken, child. You seemed rather worn out after school. You seemed so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you up."

 

Fuck- what a sweetheart. Feeling your heart swell a little more for your adoptive goat parent, you smiled a little sheepishly before glancing back towards the door, and subsequently Frisk whom was standing up with freshly tied shoes and the cutest little blue rain jacket on. When they had you and Toriel's full attention. they gave goat-mom a thumbs up and Toriel chuckled.

 

"Oh, right! We should get going. But remember about those leftovers!"

 

"Wait- uh.. Where are you guys going?"

 

Glancing back to you with genuine confusion written all over her face, Toriel frowned.

 

"We're on our way back to the school."

 

"Huh?? So late? Did you have extra work to grade? Do you need any help?"

 

With her furry eyebrows only furrowing deeper, Toriel seemed to come to a realization and slowly shook her head.

 

"Late?.. Oh, my child... It's morning. You fell asleep after class yesterday and slept right through the night!"

 

With your eyes beginning to bug out of your skull, you had to pause and register what she just said. Wait- you did it again? You thought you were over the sleeping for a day thing! It was already the next morning?? Whipping your head around to peek towards the windows, indeed, the light outside was steadily brighter than it had been before... Sunrise??????

 

"Whoa- wait! I- I didn't even know!" Looking down at your bed clothes you swiveled around, making a half turn and ready to high-tail it back to your bedroom for something more appropriate.

 

"Hold on! Let me grab some nice clothes for school! I'll go with you!"

 

But before you could make a run for it, Toriel's gentle paw came down on your shoulder.

 

"About... that- You... You seemed so stressed out yesterday that- I decided, perhaps following me to work isn't the best idea for now."

 

Frozen in your tracks, you slowly turned back towards her and away from the hall. But the look on Toriel's face was nothing but soft. You knew she had good intent, always, but..

 

"You're... leaving me home alone?"

 

At that, her eyes grew a little wider until you could see the violet in them, and then she seemed to flush, pulling her paw away from you and bringing it to her cheek. Sighing thoughtfully, goat mom shook her head again as her expression grew a little more- guilt ridden than that.

 

"Well.... not.... exactly?"

 

"Ma. What have you done?"

 

Being able to make a 6 foot goat monster shrink back was in and of itself a feat. Frisk tried to sign something beyond her, but you were brought back to Toriel when she whined. It almost came out as a guilty bleat as she looked back down at you, a little defeated.

 

"I may have, hired someone to keep an eye on you. Or at the very least, keep you company."

 

"You- got me a babysitter?"

 

Toriel grew more flustered until you were almost sure the fur on her cheeks was glowing pink. She nodded shamefully as you sighed, using all of your willpower not to facepalm in front of her. You were a grown-ass woman, and this goat woman's motherly instincts were a little too strong. Really, goat mothers should have their own category on a mom chart. Somewhere between helicopter mom and a bear mom. Could it really be that bad?... At the very least you two could ignore eachother. And if they ended up being a cool person, maybe you'd hang out. Watch a couple movies. Maybe even make a new friend! Toriel wasn't a bad judge of character, so how horrible could they be?

 

Frisk was obviously still trying to help you out a little in frantic sign by the doorway, but by the time you looked over they were just giggling into their hands. Were they laughing at you? Oh haha, yeah, very funny. Mom sicked the house guest with a babysitter. Real doozy.

 

"Okay, so, that's fine. This is fine.. When are they coming over?"

 

 

A sudden voice spoke up from behind you just down the hall. Gruff, lazy- and all too familiar, sending Frisk into a fit of laughter.

 

"sup, kid."

 

"Oh, hell no."


	16. Quick A/N!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //Sorry that this isn't actually a new chapter! Gods know you guys deserve one!

Hey guys! Author here. Don't worry! Although it might have seemed like it once upon a time, I have NOT abandoned you! In fact, I should be more active really soon! Any delays are purely due to work schedule and my own dumb arse getting distracted with roleplay, cosplay and such.

I also tend to have a very weird sleep schedule? So updates are gonna be sporadic, I'm not going to lie! BUT. I have part of the next chapter already started and I think I'm going to make a couple ahead of time even if I can! I still have all my original ideas for this thing in mind so let's get this party going again! WHOO!

Revive all the dead people on the dancefloor and grab your dancing shoes!

 

I'll be deleting this chapter when you can expect an update so be ready!


	17. A/N!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //Damn.

I had, big, BIG plans for this story. I honestly? Don't know if I'll ever get back to it. Just given the fact that I keep moving around which is hard for me, and with trying to balance my job and my personal life? I don't always get the chance to do what I want...

But it was a REALLY in depth story that I thought everyone would love.

I kind of ? Lost touch with the fandom I guess. God do I still love Undertale, and the story, the emotion behind it. It's still whimsical and totally amazing to me. I think? This story deserves an ending. But it's barely just begun.

So! Let me know what you guys would like me to do with it.

If anyone is willing and really wants to make a conclusion! I can let you in on the storyline and you can feel free to co-author this stuff and get it finished with me. Heck, maybe it'll motivate me.

OR, I could possibly make the next chapter a synopsis of what w o u l d have happened, had I finished it. That way, I don't leave you guys hanging. You had some really cool ideas on what happened! And I really wanted to make the big reveal as cool as possible! But that can't happen if I can't find the will to write I guess....

In the end, I guess I ended up letting my life away from my laptop consume me. I got a little rusty, and every time I tried to come back and finish this work it never came out right. My words weren't coming across the way I wanted them to and it was ultimately a huge let-down.

 

SO!!!! If anyone out there is still reading this, comment and let me know what you would rather have done. I won't close this work, just so it can be read (and possibly finished???) some day.


	18. Synopsis!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is folks! What y'all been waiting for!
> 
> Brace yourself, this is a long, sporadic one.

//So officially, I did get two offers of people wanting to finish the story, but then no messages back after the fact so I went with this to keep you guys from waiting much longer.

 

A lot of your guesses at the storyline were SUPER UNIQUE! And I almost had a contest to vote some of them in, even. (Secretly, of course.) But!!! Here is how the original story intended to go.

 

 

YOU, the main character, had come from a rather shoddy home life. Your only escape from this all came in the form of your best friend, Dakota, whom we were just learning about. Whereas you were the plain jane type of gal with an abusive, drunkard father and a broken home, she was perfect.

 

Conventionally gorgeous, naturally comedic, the kindest soul you ever met. She never judged you for a thing, and you loved her unconditionally. Perhaps even, more than a friend. (Yes!! Our main protagonist was going to be bisexual [pan really if you think about this whole, skeletal monster thing]).

 

Her favorite thing to do when you needed some relief was to get you away from home, chart out the town, and your favorite place to hang out was of course; Chinatown. It was a nice little shopping district, a stock of good memories were made there, and Dakota became a home away from home.

 

The monsters came to arrive from the Underground, and with them, their child human advocate. While all of this was still new to society, you were particularly having a horrible lowpoint in your life.

 

And during a specifically bad day, when your father happened to be particularly violent, you hastily messaged Dakota in a needs of escape. She told you to meet at the regular place, and the both of you were making a mad dash for the downtown entrance.

 

Your father made a move to follow, and in a fear-driven stupor, you bolted. It was because you were so unfocused and reckless that you were sprinting into the street that very day.

 

Dakota spotted you from across the way-

 

This is where it gets a bit tricky and dark. Forewarning.

 

 

and the basis of your dual soul goes as such. Toriel didn't quite strike you so much as she struck both you and Dakota with her car accidentally. She hadn't meant to.

Sans, accidentally overseeing it all was sure that you pushed Dakota into the road and that's what killed her.

 

Yes. She did die.

 

In the split second process when you both collided, you were meant to die. But instead, her soul transferred with you, giving you new life. And two souls' one weaker than the other.

 

 

\--

 

As the story would have progressed we wouldn't have learned this until much later. You've begun to record everything that happens on the daily with a mic Toriel gave you to remember things and get into routine.

When you and Papyrus grow particularly close, and then Alphys, Asgore, more importantly; Frisk; Sans snaps.

He thinks you're lying about withholding memories and blurts that you're some kind of murderer and that's why you have two souls and LV., and this shit was gonna get sick. Now you're having a crisis because all you have is vague memories of a beautiful girl, and your dad's violence, and you begin to think that violence was you. Maybe you WERE a murderer.

 

You attempt to cut yourself off from everyone, and although Sans gets backlash for what he did, everyone else is confused, a little concerned. They don't know that you /aren't/ some kind of murderer, after-all.

 

That's when finally, the hospital finds your records.

And your father, finds you.

 

Everybody is already on edge, and with Sans pushing for it, they send you back to your abusive household without knowledge.  He hasn't sobered up. In fact it's likely worse, since he's thought you were dead this whole time, like your mother. It would have been weeks since any of the monsters saw you, when Alphys runs into you in the supermarket. She's the one who sees your bruises first, and puzzles over it. When she brings it quietly back to Undyne, she still hesitates, but Undyne above anyone doesn't think you could hurt a fly.

 

In the end, they band together without telling Sans, to find out what's been going on with you and bring you back to safety. When they truly find out what's been happening under your dad's roof, Toriel puts her foot down and fights for custody over you. Sans, still miffed about it all, even testifies against this idea, even going as far as to say that a violent soul can't fall far from the tree, which Papyrus surprisingly fights verbally and shuts him up. But you, still have the mic! In the end the court and evidence over-rules.

 

You are legally given to Toriel, since she was already raising a human child, and Sans is left to fester. But when your father confronts you outside of the courthouse and gets aggressive, he FINALLY fucking gets it through his thick skull that you weren't lying about anything. Your head hits the pavement the moment he steps in to save you.

 

\--

 

When you wake up this time, you're fully cognizant. Toriel, bent over your bed, asks you how you feel. And you remember.

 

You remember, EVERYTHING.

 

Sans, is temporarily in jail custody. Why? For using magic to assault a human. Your father, in fact. This shocks you to the bone. (Hah, puns.)

 

He's on parole by the time you rehabilitate. It's VERY fucking awkward at first. I planned to put in a beach trip or two, or maybe camping. I was never sure which I wanted to do. But everyone's trying to pull themselves back together after it all. You're dealing with a FUCKTON of PTSD now that you remember everything your Dad did, and the fact that your best friend was dead and kind of living on in you.

 

Sans has been walking on eggshells, but ultimately doing everything he can to apologize for being such a cold-hard asshole to you this entire time. And it starts to work. You're trying to forgive.

 

Papyrus and Mettaton start dating during this arc! First of all, it's fucking ADORABLE and a good distraction from the main timeline for a bit, until Sans starts to really notice you. And Mettaton, the love doctor, happens to notice that.

 

He points it out quite blatantly, and at the same time, Sans knows it's not the time for this kind of stuff. You've been nothing but jumpy since the whole incident and he can't blame you. So he tries to cut the romance, and you try to cozy up to him. It's the classic one's on while the other's off kinda deal.

 

This happens for a comedically long time, but my idea was you have your first kiss on new year's. It's super cliche.

 

The very end to the story is the only part at all where I faltered and honestly didn't know what to do with. We all know there would have been a bone zone in there. I already tagged that it would probably end with smut. No odd ecto-skeleton-human hybrids here. Just straight up stuff, and likely mockery about it from the entire crew. (Minus Frisk, they're too pure. Leave them out of this). But y'know. Maybe one day it'll all get written out. Anything can happen.


End file.
